A Dime A Dozen
by NotAboutNightingales
Summary: I'll tell you Colonel, guys like Fred are a dime a dozen at MIT." Follow-up to the episode Ex-File. McGee deals with his jealously. McAbby all the way.
1. Chapter 1

It had been almost an hour and a half since the feeling of ultimate satisfaction had washed over Timothy McGee. A mere 90 minutes ago he had watched as Abby had broken the nose of one of the most obnoxious men to ever set foot in his line of vision. Ever since he had first laid eyes on Fred Rinnert, he knew there was something about him that he hated. McGee tried to convince himself that it was because he secretly knew he was a hinky individual all along. He tried to tell himself that Rinnert had been giving him the "perp" vibe since he walked in the door. He tried to tell himself every single possible excuse aside from the one that ended in him hating Rinnert because Abby might be interested in him. He had settled on the "perp" vibe excuse and continued trawling through Rinnert's cell phone records as the bastard sat in interrogation.

Tony and Ziva had headed out to execute a search of Rinnerts home. Gibbs was in MTAC with Colonel Mann and the Director, briefing DIA agents about the security breach. McGee typed furiously, trying to find something, anything that would give him a clue as to what secrets Rinnert had sold and who he had sold them to. He wasn't going to let him get away with a deal that he didn't deserve. The man was a killer and a traitor.

Deep down, McGee knew that the crimes Rinnert had committed didn't warrant any sort of deal whatsoever, but it wasn't enough to just let him get what was coming to him. McGee wanted the bastard tried for everything he had done wrong and more. He wanted him to suffer. It was a side of himself that even he didn't recognize. He vaguely recalled feeling the same way when he interrogated Jason Geckman a few years prior. McGee had started, not looking at the situation as an interrogation, but as an interview. When "Geck" hadn't been cooperative, Tim hadn't been able to control his reaction to the teen's smugness. He had let loose, threatening the teen with aiding and abetting and selling stolen property. It was fierce, forceful and borderline cruel. He always believed that had Gibbs seen it, he'd be proud.

But there would be nothing to be proud of if he couldn't come up with the evidence that he needed to get Rinnert away for life. Rinnert himself had already destroyed the evidence on the laptop when Abby had left him alone in her lab. It was a mistake that had cost the team dearly, the case dearly, and Rinnert's nose dearly. McGee replayed the scene in his mind: Abby, complete with an angry pout, smacking the smugness right off of Rinnert's face. It had to have been one of the most satisfying moments that he had seen on the job.

"You had better be smiling because you found something in Rinnert's cell phone records McGee." Gibbs said, interrupting his fond recollection.

"Not yet boss, but I am running a program to cross check incoming and outgoing calls on both Rinnert's cell and Captain Reynolds. I'm also working on tracing the bank transfers from Bay Route, but it's gonna take a while."

"You haven't got a while, McGee. Let those programs run and you go get with Abby. See if she could recover anything off the laptop." Gibbs ordered.

"On it, Boss." McGee replied.

The elevator ride to Abby's lab seemed like a lifetime. McGee knew she wasn't going to be pleasant, she would barely be tolerable. He had stopped off in the cafeteria to get her a Caf-Pow, hoping to appease her mood. He had seen Abby scorned before and it wasn't something he wanted to relive. While he wasn't the designated target, he knew Abby. He knew her reactions and he knew what to expect.

Except this time he was wrong.

No music was playing when he entered the lab, which was slightly surprising. Abby managed to have music for every emotion, especially anger. She didn't notice his presence, but continued typing furiously on the computer she used to run copies of hard drives on. McGee knew that Rinnert had also wiped that clean.

"Checkin the servers?" he asked, making his presence known and placing the Caf-Pow down in front of her.

"Already did, he bypassed the firewall to erase the backup file." She replied, still focused on the computer.

"And he got to it?" McGee, questioned.

"He's a lead programmer for the DIA and he sold government secrets to our enemies without anyone realizing he'd been stealing them. Yeah, he got past our firewall, McGee." Abby replied sarcastically.

"What about temp files, any backups of those on the servers?" the probie probed.

"What am I? A 10th grade hacker?" she bit back.

"So what are you trying now?" he replied, unstung by her sarcasm. It was understandable, after all.

"Well, I had been beta testing this cloning software, it was pretty much an advanced edition of what I was already running, except for a few tweaks. Faster download time, frequent security updates, and a way better encryption software to prevent hacking. Basically, a temporary firewall is set up around the cloned drive and it's completely cloaked. You wouldn't know it was there, unless you knew to look for it."

"So what's the problem?" McGee asked.

"The way better encryption. I had been tweaking and I found a way to advance it and now I can't unadvance it. I'm running a password cracker right now."

"You need to password crack the software that you developed yourself?"

"Tweaked McGee. I tweaked it. But apparently, I tweaked it too hard."

"You are quite the tweaker, Abs." McGee joked. Abby smiled for a fraction of a second. For a fraction of a second, she was happy. She was herself. She wasn't devastated over the bastard who had tricked her and ruined her evidence. But then the program opened and McGee read the screen: No Recoverable Data.

"Damn it!" Abby yelled, slamming her hand down against the desk. The vented frustration was immediately followed by an "Oww!" and McGee's attention was drawn to what he had missed: Abby's swollen and purple hand.

"Abs, my God! Your hand!" he exclaimed, not believing that he hadn't noticed it before.

"Ow. Yeah, I did that when I hit that slime ball's beak," she said wincing as McGee took her hand in his to get a closer look.

"How have you been typing with this?" he questioned, seeing that almost all of her knuckles had swollen to the size of miniature golf balls.

"Painfully, but I've been ignoring it. It was working too, until just now."

"You need to have Ducky check this out, Abs. One or more than one of your fingers could be broken."

"Please, McGee. I've hit people harder. I'll survive." She replied, removing her hand from his grasp.

"Come here," he said, taking her other hand in his and pulling her towards her desk.

"McGee, really, I'll be fine. I don't need Ducky to look at it. I've busted knuckles before hitting guys in the face."

McGee didn't doubt it, but he pushed her down onto her chair and leaned over her.

"Abby, this is not a debate." She opened her mouth to protest, but he beat her to it.

"Let me wrap your hand. It'll be quick, I promise."

Abby sighed. She knew the alternative was a trip to autopsy, where Ducky would insist on icing it and then taking x-rays. She didn't have that kind of time. Tony and Ziva would be back soon with Fred's computer and she needed to devote her full attention to getting all the evidence that she could to put that bastard away.

McGee had returned with her first aid kit, and was skillfully unwrapping the gauze.

"I can't believe I left him alone in here," she said as McGee began bandaging.

"Abby, you couldn't have known…"

"But I should have! I should have known there was something hinky about him. And Gibbs? Calling me? Gibbs never calls me. I shouldn't have fallen for that. I should have known right away that something was wrong. I should have taken the laptop with me."

McGee continued bandaging, with an odd method of finagling and twisting that Abby noticed, but didn't comment on. She was still too lost in thought.

"If he gets away with this, McGee, it'll be…"

He had finished wrapping her hand just in time to cut her off.

"Hey, there is no way he is getting away with this. I'm cross checking his cell phone records with Captain Reynolds, I'm tracing the money, Ziva and Tony are searching his place. We're gonna get this guy Abs. I promise."

She looked deep into his green eyes and she believed him. With her, he was an open book. He never once lied to her, and she could always count on him. He stuck to his word. If he made a promise, he kept it.

"Is that better?" he asked clearing his throat and breaking the simple yet slightly awkward silence that had formed. He tapped her hand gently and she looked down at his skillful handy work. He had managed to wrap each of her fingers individually, giving her the ability to still move each of them freely, and still type.

She sighed, reality hitting her once again. She smiled sadly, but remained silent.

"Abby please," McGee begged. He hated more than anything to see her upset and her emotions were eating away at him. But more than anything, what was really eating away at him was the fact that he wasn't entirely sure why she was taking this so hard. The notion that she had even one iota of a feeling for Fred Rinnert hurt him ten thousand times worse than any other time she had simply been upset.

"I promise you, I'll get him. He won't get away with this, Abs. I won't let him." He took her injured hand and kissed it gently. "Better?" he questioned again.

A cold, steely voice provided the answer. "You won't feel any better in a minute, McGee."

McGee jumped up from his squatting position and turned to face Gibbs.

"Boss, I was just…I was…" McGee stuttered, afraid of what to say and afraid of the response.

"He was making me feel better Gibbs. Tony, is that Fred's laptop?" Abby asked, retreating from her chair and walking out to the main lab to greet Tony and Ziva, who had also arrived.

Gibbs retained his ice-cold gaze, fixated on McGee.

"I'm gonna, go check.. check on those programs. See what I came up with." McGee explained.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea, McGee." Gibbs replied, not changing his gaze.

He followed McGee out and watched as he got into the elevator. He locked eyes one more time before the doors closed, and he returned his attention to Abby, who was fielding invasive questions from Tony. He slapped him in the back of the head and focused on Abby.

"Anything on the laptop?" Gibbs asked.

"Nothing. He completely wiped it. Same with the copy. Hopefully, I can find something on his laptop."

He stared at her, his eyes telling her to rephrase her answer.

"I mean, I will find something on his laptop."

1 hour, 2 Tylenol, and 1.5 Caf-Pow's later, Abby wasn't any closer to finding answers she needed. She'd tapped into his private emails and found the confirmation for his flight. She'd found his subscription to five various porn sites. She'd found videos and pictures that would make even Tony blush. She couldn't, however, find the one thing she needed to: the file sharing application. It was the one solid link, besides the bank account that McGee had discovered, that would tie Fred to Captain Reynolds murder. His fingerprints being 1 of 80,000 found in Reynolds kitchen wouldn't stand up in court. She knew that any defense attorney with half a brain could work their way around that. And without the evidence on Reynolds' laptop, she knew that the possibility of him pleading out to deal in exchange for the sensitive information he had was more than plausible, it was almost a done deal.

Abby stopped typing in order to suppress the dull throbbing in her hand. McGee had probably been right. One or more than one of her fingers were probably broken. If she had gone to see Ducky, she could have gotten a shot of something to numb the pain. She wondered if McGee had had any luck. She was tempted to go see him, but she knew Gibbs would be on his case and that DiNozzo would only be fueled to ask more questions. She wasn't sure just how much of their conversation had been overheard by the rest of the team. Normally, whenever anyone entered her lab, she knew right away. But the way McGee had looked at her, the way he was holding her hand and swearing to protect her…she had completely blocked everything else out, and not by choice either. It was strange, the way that his words filled her ears like the deafening roar of the ocean, yet seemed so sweet and subdued.

She remembered his promise. She remembered how he cast off the rest of team and made it his own sworn duty to bring down Rinnert. But she knew he couldn't do it alone. Abby Scuito was hardly going to let herself be a damsel in distress, especially not at the hands of Fred Rinnert. She began typing furiously once again.

"Boss, we gonna interrogate this guy or what?" Tony asked, his mouth half full of a cheeseburger. It seemed he was the only one eating the dinner he had so graciously gone to pick up for the team. Ziva had shoved hers aside to continue making phone calls to anyone and everyone who had ever had contact with Rinnert. Gibbs hadn't touched his. The colonel had thanked him, but continued working a little too closely with Gibbs and McGee was typing so fast he was certain that he was in nerd overdrive.

"When we have something DiNozzo, we'll interrogate him. Let him squirm for now." Gibbs replied coolly.

As if it had been his cue, McGee spoke. "Boss, I think I found something."


	2. Chapter 2

"Did you find the buyer?" Gibbs asked.

"Not yet, but I found something interesting on the cell phones," McGee reported, pulling up the records on the plasma. "On the night before Captain Reynolds died, he made a call to this number. It shows that the conversation lasted 8 minutes and 53 seconds. At the exact same time, Rinnert made a call to Reynolds lasting 13 minutes and 25 seconds."

"Three way?" Gibbs asked. Tony's snicker cost him a smack to the back of his head.

"Looks that way. In fact there are several calls to that number on Reynolds cell phone, but none on Rinnert's until 7:45PM on the night that Reynolds died. He didn't have any contact with the buyer until.." McGee continued.

"He stole the number off Reynolds cell. That's good work. You got a name for me, McGee?" Gibbs probed.

"Akmed Ghadrane. Been on the FBI's watch list for a while now, suspected Al Quaeda operative. He's currently living in the DC area. Got the address right here and I put out a BOLO." McGee replied.

"Who would use their actual cell phone in a deal like this? Sounds too stupid to be Al Quaeda." Colonel Mann remarked.

"He didn't. It was pre-paid, but I was able to trace it after I triangulated GPS coordinates off of Rinnerts' cell. See, what I did was…"

Gibbs glared.

"I did…computer stuff. Worked though." Was McGee's response to the glare.

"So if this isn't the buyer then who the hell is, McGee?" Gibbs asked impatiently.

"Well I didn't say he's not the buyer. He's just the suspect…the suspected buyer." Gibbs had moved uncomfortably close to him, and McGee could feel the older man's icy glare burning a whole right through him. McGee cleared his throat. "Suspected buyer, boss. But probably the buyer."

"Ya think, McGee? Ziva, with me," Gibbs demanded as Colonel Mann and Ziva geared up. The Colonel looked displeased with the decision, and shot Gibbs daggers. Her glare resulted in him telling her that the DIA needed another briefing. "DiNozzo, you find out what Abby has and get her to lift any prints that she can off Reynolds phone."

McGee knew that Gibbs seemed to be pissed about before, but it was worth a shot. It was case related after all. He spoke.

"Boss, maybe I should help Abby with the laptop, she might have missed something."

Gibbs simply shouted the response as he walked to the elevator. "Leave her alone McGee and you find that money!"

The Colonel had retreated upstairs to MTAC and a dull sense of quiet took over the squad room. McGee sighed and returned his attention to the computer screen in front of him. He had traced deposits more complicated than this before. It was just a matter of linking the money to Ghadrane. An inability to focus on the task at hand happened almost immediately in the form of one senior field agent Tony DiNozzo.

"What's the matter Probie? Upset because Gibbs won't let you go see your girlfriend?" he asked, mockingly.

McGee continued typing. "Shut up, DiNozzo."

"What exactly did we walk in on earlier? Seemed a rather intimate moment between you and the lovely lady goth." Tony remarked.

"It wasn't anything Tony."

"Oh, please McLiar. I saw the look on your face today when Abby slugged him. That kind of happiness…you were jealous."

"I was not."

"Were too."

"DiNozzo, seriously. Let me finish this."

"Why, so you can go play in the lab?"

And there it was. Tony's merciless teasing never got under McGee's skin. Their relationship was a sibling rivalry of sorts, and while he enjoyed the majority of the jokes and pranks that they played on each other, he wasn't in the mood. He had reached his breaking point, so he stood and locked eyes with the man who was now casually perched on the corner of his desk.

"Tony, I know that your contributions to this case," McGee began angrily, picking up the bag that held the uneaten cheeseburger Tony had left on his desk, "Have really been essential in nature, but I'm actually working. So if you wouldn't mind leaving me the hell alone, so I can find the evidence we need to put this other guy away, that'd be great."

McGee tossed the bag in the garbage and gave Tony a final warning. "Go help Abby and leave me alone. Now."

DiNozzo popped the last of his meal into his mouth, and mumbled. "Oh yeah, you're in love all right," as he walked away. He knew McGee had heard him and smiled to himself because torturing the probie…it was just too good.

The music was deafening as the elevator doors opened. Abby seemed to have gotten her spirit back, Tony demised. Once again, she didn't even hear him come in. Although this time DiNozzo was sure that it had more to do with the pounding bass of Plastic Death and less to do with a distraction caused by a certain probie.

"Brought 'cha something!" Tony, whispered into her, causing her to jump.

"Tony! Don't sneak up on people like that, do you want me to bust my other hand?" she asked.

"That was quite the punch you delivered. Who taught you how to hit like that?" he wondered aloud.

"Granny. So what'd you bring me?" she asked, leaving him no time to ponder how or why her grandmother knew how to deliver a nose-breaking blow.

"Captain Reynolds cell phone. Boss wants you to dust it for prints. Have you found anything on Rinnert's computer?"

Abby sighed when she was reminded of her own failure.

"Not yet. I've tried a few things, but Captain Reynold's computer was much easier to crack. McGee might be able to do something with this though." She answered.

"Don't think that's going to happen. Per el jefe's orders McGee is to leave you alone." Tony replied, pleased that the door had been opened for probing.

"Why?" Abby asked.

"Don't know. Maybe the boss thinks you two are breaking rule number twelve."

"Me and McGee?! Are you kidding? No. No Gibbs would never think that."

"Wouldn't he? Seemed like we interrupted quite the intimate moment earlier," DiNozzo said.

"Tony, McGee was just making me feel better. If this is because you guys saw him kiss my hand, that was nothing. Besides Gibbs kisses me all the time," Abby said, realizing two things: the first that she attempting to convince herself more than Tony and the second that she was failing on both counts.

"But you and Gibbs don't have the same relationship that you and the Probie have, Abs. I mean, come on. Has Gibbs ever slept in the coffin?" Tony then shuddered at the thought and added, "Don't answer that."

Abby continued typing as she replied, "The only thing that McGee and I share right now is an intense hatred for that dirtbag upstairs. Has anyone interrogated him yet?"

"Nope. Boss and Ziva went to go pick up the supposed suspect that the secret seller sold the secrets to, supposedly. Wow, that was unbelievably difficult to say." Tony noted, after his battle with alliteration. "They're waiting on interrogation until they get some more evidence."

"Which, I'm supposed to be providing them with. Rinnert's computer is harder to crack than I thought it would be. I could really use McGee's help. Of course, I wouldn't need it if that jerk hadn't tricked me into leaving my lab." Abby vented.

"Well, he didn't have a choice. It's not like he was going to let you watch him destroy evidence."

Tony missed Abby's eyes growing large at his statement, and continued.

"I mean he's dumb, but he's not that"

Abby's hands framing his face forced him to stop speaking. He knew she had to have stumbled upon something, and by the look in her eyes, it was something big.

"Tony that's it! You're a genius!" she exclaimed. She immediately turned around and headed for the recording device that produced a live feed to Autopsy. She hit a switch and saw the feed of the room appear. Palmer appeared to be immersed in lab reports as he sat at the desk.

"Palmer!" Abby screamed, causing the young man to practically jump out of his skin.

"Oh, hey Abby. Wh..what's up?" he asked, trying to conceal the fact that he had just nearly wet himself.

"Tell me you haven't turned off the computer or the video feed today," she asked. If this worked, it would solve everyone's problems.

"No, looks like it's been on all day. Camera's been on stand by though." He replied.

"That's fine. I'm coming. I'll be right there. Whatever you do Jimmy do not turn them off." She ordered.

"You got it," he replied even though, she had disappeared off the monitor.

Abby raced to a drawer and pulled out an unopened DVD.

"What am I missing?" Tony asked, having been completely confused by the preceding events.

"The camera that produces the live feed to autopsy activates by a motion sensor, but its keeps real time recordings. It records even when the screen isn't turned on and the camera's in stand-by mode. McGee installed a safety program that will record an entire days worth of surveillance onto the hard drive of the computer that accesses it. As long as the computer hasn't been turned off or restarted, the feeds are stored. So, I can go on my computer and see what Ducky was doing at 9:15 this morning." Abby explained, as she hurried to the elevator.

"So, that means that the computer in Autopsy.." Tony, began putting the pieces together.

"Has the recordings of my lab today. Tony, we have video taped proof of Rinnert wiping the evidence!" Abby replied excitedly.

"That's a lucky break. So do all the cameras record everything for daily surveillance?" Tony asked, suddenly slightly nervous that every thing he did could be captured and watched at any given moment.

"No. McGee originally installed the program on the autopsy camera after Ari shot Gibbs. The software wasn't installed on my lab camera until after Chip tried to frame you for murder and kill me."

Tony recalled Chip. He hated Chip.

The elevator ride down one floor to Autopsy took less than a minute, yet Abby couldn't have been more impatient. When the doors finally opened she bounded out and headed straight for the computer.

"Abby, I heard about your injury," Ducky began, as she rushed towards the computer.

"I'm fine Ducky, I promise," she answered as Jimmy bolted out of the chair.

"Who wrapped this for you?" the elder man asked.

"McGee. It's fine. Doesn't even hurt." Abby lied. She was pounding the keys on the computer so hard and fast that it felt as if bowling balls were being dropped one after the other on each of her knuckles.

"Yes, well, I don't believe that for a second. But I will refrain, if you agree to let me look at it before you leave this evening."

"Deal. Now let's see what Fred was up to in my lab." Abby said as a video player popped up on the screen. "As if we didn't already know," she added.

Tony's words replayed over and over in his head. He knew that his outburst had only given DiNozzo more fuel to add to the fire at a later time, but McGee couldn't help thinking that Tony was right. Seeing her interact with Rinnert earlier in the day had made him sick to his stomach. It was the oddest game of cat and mouse that he and Abby had played. She could never appropriately communicate her feelings, except to say that she loved him the way that she loved puppies. She had gotten jealous when he had been dating that cheerleader and he had been jealous when he found out about the forensic botanist she had been seeing. Their friendship and working relationship had never once been tested by their respective love lives, yet McGee had to wonder if this insatiable desire to throw Rinnert to the wolves had more to do with the fact that he wanted Abby.

He thought of the way she had looked at him when he assured her that everything would be all right. It was as if she could see right through him and understand ever fiber of his being better than he could. He knew that his promise to personally get Rinnert had to do with his own insecurities, something that Abby had accused him of having in the past. It was almost funny, McGee thought to himself. He was a federal agent who had taken down some of the most detrimental deviants that society had to offer. He was a computer genius that could hack into anything, including the CIA. He was a best selling novelist that enjoyed royalty checks of massive amounts delivered to him monthly and had tons of adoring fans. And yet, the one thing that he had never been was the one thing he longed for more than anything. It was the one thing he would trade anything in the world for, even his own life. Timothy McGee, federal agent, best-selling novelist and computer genius extraordinaire simply wanted to be her hero.

"Did you finish tracing the money, McGee?" the Colonel asked, as she entered the bullpen. McGee didn't respond, and instead looked blankly at his computer screen. "McGee?" she repeated, and he snapped out of the daze.

"I'm sorry Colonel, what'd you say?" he asked.

"If you had finished the back trace on those bank accounts." She replied.

"Uh, no ma'am. My program is still running. There's a lot that Ghadrane wanted to keep hidden, it seems."

"Is he the only one, McGee?" the Colonel questioned, probing deeper into McGee's personal life. When he didn't answer, she continued. "I saw the way you looked at her McGee. It's pretty clear that,"

The Colonel was interrupted as the Goth forensic scientist bounded full speed ahead into the squadroom.

"We've got him!" she squealed excitedly. "He is going down for everything, and there is no way that he can get away with it now. And he is definitely not getting a deal either."

"Abby, slow down," McGee said, standing. "What are you talking about?"

Abby held up the DVD. "The live feed from my lab to Autopsy. Remember that little precautionary program you installed?"

McGee's eyes widened. How could he have possibly forgotten it?

"It was on the Autopsy computer?" he asked, still shocked.

"Yes, it was. And it worked like a charm." Abby smiled. McGee allowed himself to revel in her beauty for a fraction of a second. She was so cute when she smiled.

"Would someone mind cluing me in?" Colonel Mann asked, ripping McGee from his thoughts.

"The camera in Abby's lab records all day onto a computer in Autopsy." McGee began.

"And the camera in Autopsy records all day onto a computer in my lab," Abby added.

"It was on when Rinnert was alone in the lab," McGee added excitedly.

The Colonel still didn't understand why the two were so excited. "So the most we've got him with is tampering with evidence in a federal investigation."

Tony chimed in. "Actually, it appears Freddy is one of those people that talks to himself. I hate people who talk to themselves. He made a few choice comments, some about Abby, couple about McGeek but most importantly,"

Abby interrupted, "He admitted to murdering Captain Reynolds!"

McGee had popped the DVD into his computer and pulled it up on the plasma. They watched, as Rinnert skillfully erased the hard drive of the Abby's computer first and then moved onto the laptop, all the while talking to himself. The admission came only moments before Abby had returned.

"Agent McGee," said Colonel Mann. "We've been awfully rude to our guest, letting him sit in that interrogation room for hours. Perhaps we should pay him a visit, and maybe let him watch a movie."

Twenty minutes later, as Director Shephard was walking down the stairs, Gibbs and Ziva entered the squad room.

"You're back. Where is he?" she asked, having already been briefed by Colonel Mann before she and McGee had gone to question Rinnert.

"FBI picked him up at Dulles, handed him over to the DIA." Gibbs stated.

"Where is everyone?" Ziva questioned.

"Interrogation. The camera in Abby's lab recorded Rinnert destroying evidence and talking to himself about murdering Captain Reynolds." The Director explained. "Clearly, he's not the smartest man." She added.

It was at that exact moment that the sound of a gun shot ripped through the building, followed by a scream, and seconds later a second gunshot.

It hadn't been the sound of the gunshot that had made Gibbs run as fast as he did, weapon drawn and loaded. It was the scream. It had been Abby's.


	3. Chapter 3

"What the hell happened?" Gibbs asked, rounding the corner, weapon drawn.

What the hell had happened? McGee wondered. The entire situation had seemed like a blur. He had interrogated Rinnert with Colonel Mann, and he was a smug son of a bitch, just as he had been when he had bargained with Gibbs for a deal. Putting the DVD in had been such a rush for McGee, as he watched the man's shock at the footage of him incriminating himself. Rinnert had gotten angry, and directed it straight at McGee. He had ignored him and let him go on calling him every name in the book because it wasn't an unusual reaction. McGee simply sat there and smirked because the bastard was getting exactly what he deserved and he had given it to himself. It was only when Rinnert's foul tongue directed itself at Abby, did McGee have the problem.

It was after the point where McGee had come within inches of physically assaulting Rinnert, that the Colonel ended the interrogation. "Agent McGee!" she had yelled, as if she had some sort of authority over him. "We're done here." She had continued, and pointed towards the door. He left, but not before punching Rinnert squarely in the jaw.

Abby had been in the hallway when he exited. She was beaming, he recalled.

"Please tell me you didn't break any fingers on his face," she had said, taking his hand in hers to examine it.

"No, it's fine." McGee replied wincing.

"Nice, shot Probie. Didn't break any nails did you?" DiNozzo had joked. McGee had been about to shoot off a sarcastic reply, when he heard Rinnert yell.

"You bitch! You did this to me!"

He didn't know when he had seen the gun that Rinnert had grabbed off the Colonel's belt holster, only that he saw it. He didn't know when he threw Abby to the floor, only that he did it. And he didn't know how much time had elapsed between the shot that Rinnert had meant for Abby and the shot that he had fired from DiNozzo's gun. He only knew that Abby was over him, pressing her lab coat against his chest to stop the bleeding. And Rinnert was dead.

During the time that McGee had contemplated the situation, Ducky and Jimmy had arrived. He thought he had heard Tony say something about paramedics, but he couldn't really recall. Everything seemed so far away, so distant. His hand hurt and his chest was killing him. Breathing wasn't so easy anymore, and he heard Ducky telling him to hang on, that he would be all right.

He heard the paramedics coming, and the Director and Gibbs yelling at each other. He opened his eyes, as the EMTs were loading him onto a backboard. He heard Ducky giving some medical jargon that he hadn't understood except for "single gunshot wound to the chest." And as everything was happening around him, as the Director was reaming Colonel Mann for having a loaded weapon in an interrogation room, as Tony was assuring him that he would be fine, and as Ziva was agreeing with Tony, McGee had realized that one voice was absent from the group.

"Abby," he choked out. An overzealous EMT, immediately put an oxygen mask over his mouth, and he tried to remove it. He had to know she was all right.

"I'm here, Tim" he heard her say. She was crying, he could tell it. He didn't even need to see her, but he wanted to. And as if by magic, like the force that propelled Gibbs to her lab whenever she had evidence, she appeared right in front of him, with black mascara trailing down her cheeks, her eyes red and swollen.

He wanted to grab her and tell her he was all right. He wanted to dry her tears and hold her in his arms til her sobs subsided. But a single gunshot wound to the chest was preventing him from doing that. And he hated that once again, she was crying because of him.

He closed his eyes.

* * *

"That's good right Abs? I didn't leave anything out?" DiNozzo asked, when he finished reading the incident report aloud.

She paced back and forth nervously in front of his desk, unresponsive. So Tony got up and blocked her path.

"Abby," he repeated louder and a little more forcefully.

"What?" she asked, as if awoken from a trance.

"Did the incident report sound alright?" he questioned again.

"Yeah, it was fine," she replied and turned around to continue pacing.

"Then I'll just put this on the Director's desk and we can go," he said, as he started for the stairs.

"Go where?" she asked. Tony looked at her as if she had grown a second head and couldn't believe that he actually had to answer the question.

"To the hospital, to see Mcgee Abs."

At the sound of his name she tensed up. "I have work to do," she said, heading for the elevator down to her lab. Had Tony been a gambling man, and Abby a racehorse, he would have bet on her. He quickly caught up with her, as she pressed the button.

"Abby, what work do you have to do? Rinnert's dead." Tony explained, not sure what was going on in the goth's head.

"Crime scene analysis." She answered, as she pressed the button again.

"It's the hallway, and it's right there. Besides, you know what happened. There's nothing to analyze," he replied back.

"Ballistics then." She said. She was repeatedly pressing the down button.

"It was Colonel Mann's gun and my gun. You can have them both if you want to prove that they were the weapons, but"

She cut him off as the elevator doors open. "I'm not going Tony, just leave me alone!"

He didn't argue. He knew it was pointless, so instead he turned around and headed for the main elevator. The incident report could stay on his desk til he got back, since he knew the Director was at the hospital anyway. Everyone was at the hospital, except the one person who McGee probably wanted there the most.

And for the life of him, Tony DiNozzo couldn't figure out why.

_Thanks for the reviews everyone, I'm so happy you are all enjoying it! Sorry this chapter was so short, but I promise there'll be another update soon. Stupid real life getting in the way of my fic writing..._


	4. Chapter 4

The first thing Tony observed as he entered Bethesda Naval Hospital was not the fact that Ziva was the only one present in the waiting room. It was not the smell of industrial strength cleanser that all hospitals seemed to have, a scent with which he had become oddly familiar. It was the chairs. Hospitals had such uncomfortable chairs in their waiting rooms. If the rooms were indeed meant for waiting, why not make something more comfortable? Instead this hospital, just like so many others held the same row of oddly designed plastic seats that looked like they had come out of a bastardized Ikea catalog.

He had sat in them after Gibbs accident. He had sat in them numerous times waiting for Jeanne and now he was about to plant himself in the crappy chairs once again to await news on whether his young partner would be all right. He hated those chairs. As his eyes moved from the unwelcoming furniture to Ziva, he realized that her mouth was moving and his preoccupation with the seats had caused him to completely miss what she was saying. So he did what could: he stared blankly.

"Tony! Have you heard anything that I just said?" Ziva asked, when he did not answer her question.

"No, what'd you say?" he asked.

"A lot. Did Abby not come with you?" she asked.

"She's in her lab. How's McGee?" Tony questioned, as he walked towards the uncomfortable looking chairs.

"I do not know. No one has been forthcoming with information, but Gibbs, Ducky and the Director just went to get a briefing from McGee's doctor. I think he is out of surgery now. Why is Abby at the lab? Am I missing something, Tony?" Ziva asked, the topic returning back to the missing forensic scientist. She knew that on occasion she would mix up an idiomatic expression, or say the wrong word, but she was completely puzzled on Abby's whereabouts.

Gibbs and Ducky returned just as Tony was struggling to find an answer.

"How's Probie boss?" he questioned. Gibbs face was cold as steel, completely expressionless, as it often was. After working with him for several years, Tony still hadn't been able to get a read on his expressions during a critical situation, like the one they were enduring.

"Stable, for now. Bullet missed all the major arteries, but he's got a punctured lung, which nearly killed him. EMTs put in a chest tube on the way here. He made it through surgery, though," the older man explained.

"Which is a very good sign," Ducky interrupted. Gibbs nodded in agreement, and in that one second Tony was able to get a quick read on his boss. Regardless of what he had said or what anyone else had seen, Tony knew from the slightest flash of emotion, that Gibbs was nervous. And DiNozzo knew that he had every reason to be. Stable was a vague and broad definition that was often tossed around like a safety net in hospitals. People could be "stable" one minute and have a heart attack or a stroke in the next. A "stable" individual could be in a coma without any warning. A "stable" person could even…

Jenny's voice pulled Tony back from the brink of his morose thoughts.

"McGee's family has been notified of his condition. His parents are on a cruise to the Bahamas, apparently it was an anniversary present he had bought them. I couldn't reach them, but Sarah is on her way."

"Good, good. Having people that care about him around will help speed his recovery, hopefully." Ducky chimed in.

Tony watched as Jenny scanned the waiting room, and knew what was coming as he caught Ziva's eyes.

"Speaking of people who care about him," Jenny prefaced. "Where's Abby?"

All eyes turned to Tony. "She's back at headquarters," he answered.

"Well, is she coming later?" Ducky probed.

"Don't think so. I offered her a ride and she was set on not coming. At all." Tony replied.

"That doesn't sound like Abby. When you were in the hospital," Jenny said, looking at Gibbs. "Wild dogs couldn't keep her away. She took a cab all the way there and I was afraid I was going to have call security every time visiting hours were over. Why would she not want to see McGee?"

"Survivors guilt?" Tony questioned, and immediately regretted his words. Ziva jumped on the mistake he had made and he almost laughed at the fact that she of all people was correcting him on linguistic mistake.

"He's not dead, Tony."

"No, but he is hurt. McGee took a bullet that was meant for Abby. She could be holding herself responsible, making her feel the same emotions that any survivor would feel. It's entirely plausible." Ducky deduced.

"I still think that it is ridiculous for her to not be here. He saved her life!" Ziva exclaimed, and Gibbs knew it was time to step in.

"Abby has her reasons, whatever they are. She'll come around."

* * *

Nearly two hours later, everyone, save for the Director was back at NCIS headquarters. Tony sat at his desk, neglecting paperwork. He was, for all intensive purposes, trying to get things done, but sideways glances towards McGee's empty desk kept reminding him of the day's events. One wayward glance caught Ziva's eye and she couldn't help but comment.

"You are thinking about McGee, aren't you Tony?" she asked.

"Kinda hard not to," Tony said. He let out a small chuckle. "Probie even surprised me today with that quick timing. Soon as Rinnert grabbed that gun, McGee had grabbed mine. The way he threw himself in front of Abby…it was really heroic."

"Well, that is what McGee is Tony. A hero. Even if some people cannot come to grips with that for themselves," Ziva said, the sentence dripping with judgment.

"You are thinking about Abby." Tony, said pointing out the obvious.

Ziva propelled herself out of her chair and into the middle of the bullpen. She needed to pace and she was thankful Gibbs had left to go get coffee. She knew he regarded Abby highly, and she wasn't in the mood for biting her tongue.

"How can I not? It's unbelievable to me that she would not even go see him! He is her friend. For god's sake Tony, he saved her life!" she practically yelled.

"Like Gibbs said, she'll come around." Tony repeated the boss's words. He wasn't about to get into an argument with a highly volatile Mossad agent trained in assassination.

"In Gibbs' eyes, she is the golden child who can do no wrong! She can get away with anything." Ziva spit back.

Tony was unnerved by her last comment. He understood that her anger was coming out of fear for McGee's life. Abby had once suggested that Ziva had no emotions, but Tony knew better. When she was scared, she got angry, exactly like she was doing now.

"Hey, she doesn't get away with anything and the reason she can do no wrong is because she never does anything wrong. This is Abby, we're talking about Ziva."

"And that is McGee lying in that bed. Someone needs to speak for him!"

She stormed off towards the elevator and he didn't bother trying to stop her. When Ziva's mind was made up, there was no changing it. So he let her go. He hoped that Ziva's anger would spark something in Abby and make her realize that McGee needed her.

* * *

He had shot him. Just like that. In little under ten seconds, McGee had ended someone's life. She knew her geek carried a gun, and she knew that he had been responsible for taking a life before. But never the life of someone she'd known and never in front of her.

Fred Rinnert was a scumbag and deep down Abby knew that if he hadn't died at the hands of an NCIS agent, he probably would have been killed in prison. Men like him could never survive that type of lifestyle but he didn't have to worry about that now. Now he was dead. At the hands of Timothy McGee. True to his word, McGee had gotten him, just like he promised her.

She'd been thinking about it for hours and no matter how hard she tried two distinct images wouldn't leave her mind. The first was Fred lying on the floor with the small trail of blood trickling down his shirt. Abby knew a good shot when she saw one, and the bullet that McGee had fired had been everything that one should be. It was the perfect kill shot.

The second and far more haunting image was of McGee's eyes fluttering closed after she had assured him that she was there, and that she was all right. It was as if it was all he needed know before…

Ziva took a deep breath as she entered the lab. She had counted to ten. She had inhaled and exhaled. She had done everything possible to calm herself down before talking to Abby. She had never let her fear go on display and she wasn't about to.

"Abby," she said as she entered, taking note of the fact that there was no music playing.

The younger woman perked up upon hearing her name.

"Oh, hey Ziva," Abby replied. She was thankful that someone, anyone had come to visit her and pull her out of her head.

"What are doing?" Ziva asked her, sincerely intrigued to know the answer. She took another deep breath, telling herself that Abby was probably going to become a basketcase wracked with emotion, if she wasn't already.

"Recalibrating my mass spec. It's been taking longer than usual to give me results," Abby replied, as she worked haphazardly on the device.

Ziva tried to stop herself from screaming at her. McGee was lying in a hospital bed after being shot trying to save her life and she repaid the favor by doing busywork.

"McGee is out of surgery. It went well," she said, hoping that perhaps an update in his condition or even the mention of his name might jar something in Abby. It seemed that she had been avoiding the subject at all costs.

"That's really good," she answered as she continued to fiddle with a phillips head screwdriver.

"That's it? That's really good? That's all you have to say?" Ziva wasn't subduing her judgment like she had hoped to.

_Would you like me to say that I've been killing myself inside because McGee nearly died trying to save me? How about that I wish I was the one lying in the hospital bed instead of him? That I'd rather be dead than cause him pain? Do you want an in depth analysis of the guilt that I feel because I know he did this because he loves me? Even better, one man is dead because of me, is that something along the lines of what you were expecting Ziva?_

"Um, what else would you like me to say?" Abby said.

Ziva's response echoed in the empty lab with the sound of her hand connecting solidly with Abby's cheek. She had bit her tongue for too long.

"When Gibbs was in a coma you did that to me and now I'm doing it to you. I don't know what the hell is the matter with you. He saved your life and you don't even have the decency to ask how he's doing? I don't know why it was different with Gibbs, but I always assumed that you cared about McGee. How could you abandon him like this? Now, now when he needs you…needs all of us the most?!"

"Ziva," Gibbs uttered sternly. Neither of the two women had even noticed that he had entered the lab.

"Gibbs, I was just…" Ziva began, knowing that she couldn't lie. He had probably heard everything or at least a good portion of it and she couldn't get away with saying that she was attempting "to comfort" Abby.

"Leaving," Gibbs said, ending her tirade on Abby.

Ziva swallowed hard and turned to Abby one last time before leaving. "Go see him, Abby. He needs you."

Abby's eyes had become red and swollen, and it didn't take Gibbs' instinctive gut to see that the dam was going to break any second.

She turned back to her mass spec and quietly said, "I'm sure you're here to tell me to go see him, too."

"Nope," was his simple response.

"He's really ok though? Ziva said the surgery went well." She questioned, sniffling slightly.

"He came through the surgery. Not outta the woods, yet Abs."

And the dam broke. Abby threw herself into his arms and sobbed. Everything that she'd been suppressing since McGee had been wheeled away on the stretcher came out at that very second.

"Gibbs, it's all my fault! Rinnert was trying to kill me and McGee stopped him. Why? Why did he stop him? Why didn't he just let him shoot me? Then none of this would be happening!"

Gibbs rocked her gently, once again playing the part of the caring nurturer. He would never admit that it was a role he cherished, especially in the current situation, but he did.

"You know he couldn't do that, Abby."

She pulled away from his embrace and paced before addressing him again.

"But why? And Rinnert's dead now because of me. Did he have to kill him? Why couldn't he have just shot him in the arm or leg or something? There's ways to take people down without killing them."

"Abby, what did I do in the marine corp.?" he asked her.

She knew exactly where he was going, but she followed since her brain hadn't been able to lead her there on its own. It was too wrought with emotion and guilt to let her see the obvious truth that was right in front of her the whole time.

"You were a sniper," she answered.

"And what is the one thing that matters the most?" he asked. She knew the answer but didn't speak. He then answered his own question.

"Hitting the target on the first shot. You don't miss. McGee was not trained to miss, Abby. He wasn't trained to take someone down and leave them alive. When you are at war, the only thing that matters is eliminating the threat. DiNozzo and Ziva wouldn't have left him alive either."

Abby didn't need to ask if he would have killed Rinnert. She already knew the answer.

* * *

The nurse observed the young woman as she made her way down the hallway. Her attire was disturbingly unique, black clothing accented with chains and buckles and large black platform boots with hot pink flames on the sides. And yet, she accented the malevolent looking outfit with her hair pulled into two high pigtails. She certainly didn't look like the type of woman who would be in or attached to anyone in the Navy, but her face was soft and gentle, even though she wore deep black lipstick that stained her lips to be the color of rare rubies.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. Can I help you?" the nurse asked, approaching with caution. She almost laughed at herself, referring to this woman as a "ma'am."

"I'm looking for Special Agent Timothy McGee, NCIS. He was shot today." Abby answered. She had figured that she would probably have been stopped since hospitals weren't often fond of visitors calling at 2 in the morning.

"Visiting hours ended…hours ago" the nurse replied, failing at her lack of a better, less repetitive word. "But they start at 10 tomorrow, I'm sure you can"

Abby cut her off.

"I know that they ended, but could you please make an exception. Just this once? I need to see him. He saved my life. I need to let him know that I'm ok," she pleaded.

The young nurse knew the rules, and having been on the job only a few months she went by the book. But something about this woman… the pleading in her eyes, the simple way she had asked, the sheer desperation to see the man who had saved her, made her bend them.

McGee's room was dark, except for the glow of the monitors that buzzed, hummed and beeped. Abby found nothing to be more obnoxious than the sound of a steady beep, but at that moment it was as pleasing to her ears as Brain Matter. The little beeps, steady as they were, repeated to her that he was alive. She approached his bed and stood over him. His extraordinarily expensive hair products had failed him at this point and a few strawberry blonde locks fell over his eye. Abby instinctively brushed them back and his eyes opened the minute he felt her touch.

"Abby," he whispered, and his eyes began to flutter shut once again.

She sat down on an uncomfortable chair and took his hand in hers.

"I'm here, Tim. I'm ok. Go back to sleep."

And he did.

* * *

_Hope you all enjoyed it! There's more to come, don't worry. Ending here would be such a cop-out! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, I'm really glad you all like it. _


	5. Chapter 5

Exhaustion. If one word could describe what Sarah McGee was feeling at that very moment, it would be exhaustion. The all-nighter she had pulled studying for her chemistry midterm had proven worthless. She hated chemistry, and unlike her brother she didn't excel at science. In fact, she loathed it. As she had closed the book and began to pack up her bag in the library the day before, she said a silent prayer for something, anything, to get her out of having to go face the one test that would probably cut her GPA in half. And now she understood the words, "be careful what you wish for."

She looked at her sleeping brother. He looked just like usual, except nothing about the situation was "usual." Instead of taking her chem midterm, she had been met by Tim's boss and the Director of NCIS at the hospital. She had listened as they told her that the surgery he had undergone to remove the bullet and repair his lung had been successful. She had been briefed by doctors who in an attempt to draw her away from her hysterical panic had explained that Tim would be fine. But she needed him to tell her that himself and he wasn't conscious.

So she had stayed. The nurses had told her that visiting hours were ending and she stayed anyway. She hadn't slept, save for a quick 25 minutes which had resulted in a horrible nightmare. With the image of Tim lying on the ground, blood gushing from his chest still in her mind, Sarah knew that sleep was not an option until he woke up. That was the promise she quietly whispered to her brother, in his darkened hospital room that was lit only by the faint glow of the machines that let her know he was alive. When Tim woke up, she would sleep.

She left his hospital room only once during the night, at around 2am to go get coffee. Having been up for nearly 30 hours and being plagued with the threat of nightmares, Sarah knew that caffeine was more than her friend. It was her mortal savior. She had hated to leave him alone, but when she had returned, he looked different. It almost seemed, in his deep state of unconscious, that Tim was happy.

"Tony, I think he's waking up," Sarah stated as she rushed out the chair to her brother's side. She had said the same thing three times that morning and three times she had been mistaken.

McGee let out a small groan as his eyes adjusted to the bright fluorescent light in the hospital room. DiNozzo's voice was the first that he heard.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Probie. How you feeling?"

His chest was on fire and each breath came accompanied by what felt like 10 tons of pressure.

"I've been…better," McGee replied, exhaling in a short spurt. He met his sister's worried eyes and smiled gently.

"You look like crap," he noted.

"Look who's talking," she laughed slightly, wiping a tear away from her eye and reaching out to grab her big brother's extended hand. "And, for your information, I've been up for nearly 48 hours straight and I still look better than you."

"She's right Probie. You've got some major bed head," Tony joked. He was happy to be cracking jokes with his partner. He'd already lost Kate to a bullet, and it wasn't something he wanted to relive.

"I'm going to go get a doctor, or a nurse or someone to check you out. I will be _right_ back, Tim." Sarah said, squeezing his hand. He smiled at her, and when she was gone he laid his head back against dreadfully uncomfortable pillows and closed his eyes.

"How long have I been unconscious?" he asked Tony.

"Almost 24 hours. Do you remember what happened?" DiNozzo asked.

McGee sighed. "Yeah. Is Rinnert…" he trailed off, assuming Tony would know what he was asking without having to say the words.

"Oh yeah, Quick Draw, he's dead. Impressive shot, but next time, don't take my gun. If you ever get that close to my pants again McGee…"

Tony's attempt at lighthearted humor was interrupted as Sarah returned with a doctor, who introduced himself as McGreggor. At first, McGee had thought he was kidding or a fan of his crime novels, but Dr. McGreggor was all business. A six foot four frame, with deep set brown eyes and chestnut brown hair, McGreggor didn't look like the type of man one would want to mess with. His build suggested that he worked out daily, and McGee and Tony both silently surmised that he had been in the service. He ordered a series of tests for later in the afternoon, and told McGee's visitors that his patient needed rest. When Sarah protested, Dr. McGreggor addressed McGee telling him that his sister probably need more rest than he did.

"He's right, Sarah. You need to go home." McGee stated when the doctor exited. He quickly realized that Sarah was about to go into full-blown protest mode. The circumstances and location made no difference to Sarah. She was not going to back down without a fight.

"No! No way, absolutely not! Tim, you just got shot, how can I leave you?" she argued.

"Sarah, I'm in a hospital. You just heard my doctor tell me that I'm going to be fine. You need to go home," McGee stated in his most serious big brother voice.

"Tim, you got shot at your office. You think I really feel any safer about this place?" she replied.

"Sarah, no one is going to shoot me here. You're being ridiculous," he countered.

Sarah folded her arms across her chest and stood firm with her decision.

"I'm not leaving."

"Give me your cell phone," he demanded.

"What? Why?"

"Cell phone, Sarah. Now."

Tony was simply sitting back and watching the exchange between the siblings like it was a rerun of a severely dysfunctional version of Little House on the Prairie.

She handed her brother her cell phone, and when he powered it on, she couldn't hide the smugness in her voice.

"You can't use that in here genius." She began.

"I'm not going to use it in here. I was just accessing the number so Tony could use it. Outside." McGee tossed the phone to DiNozzo. "Call that number and please ask Lindsay to pick my sister up."

Tony didn't want to deal with the wrath of the younger, angrier, McGeek, but he did as he was told.

Sarah blocked his path. "That's stolen property. I demand it back."

McGee rolled his eyes. "Sarah you gave it to me, and I gave it to him. It's not stolen property, would you please move out of Tony's way."

Tony finally spoke up. "I wouldn't mess with him, he's a good shot, Sarah."

"He wouldn't shoot me, Tony."

"I'm reeeeeeeallly thinking about it." McGee countered from his hospital bed.

"Sarah," Tony began and let his eyes plead with her to do the right thing. She moved out of his way, granting him access to call her friend to pick her up.

She slouched down in the chair that she had officially deemed "hers"; the chair that she had spent most of the night in, watching her brother's chest rise and fall, and watching his eyes flutter beneath closed lids. "Happy?" she asked, with her voice dripping of sarcasm.

He reached out for her hand and she gave it to him. She had wondered on the way to the hospital the day before, if she would ever feel his hands again. She remembered being children and the way they would smack each other around. How many times had he clobbered her, she wondered. Her eyes drifted to the small scar on Tim's right hand. It was practically invisible to anyone else, but Sarah could see the faint trace of a jagged line. An argument had led to a yelling match that then led to a shoving match. Three hours later Tim was receiving his first set of stitches, the result of falling through a glass coffee table and he and Sarah were both grounded.

She didn't realize that she'd started crying until Tim reached up and wiped away a tear. He squeezed her hand firmly.

"I promise you, I'm ok." He said reassuringly. Gone was the laughter from his voice. Now he was just simply what he had always been: her big brother. There to fix any problem and reassure her that no matter what, everything would be ok. She knew it would be.

"I love you, Tim" she said, the tears now flowing freely as she moved out of her chair to hug him. She leaned against his chest lightly, being careful not to hurt him. That was the last thing she wanted and she was sure that if Tim had even made the slightest wince, McGreggor would be in the room like a shot, pulling her out and away from the one person who could always take care of everything. The one person she needed more than anyone at the moment.

"I love you too, Sar" he said holding her tighter. "I'm here. You can't get rid of me that easily."

* * *

Abby typed as quickly as she could, trying every single parameter she knew to get into the laptop that Gibbs had brought down to her. A petty officer was under investigation for possible involvement in the murder of a civilian, a woman whom he had been dating. Gibbs had given her 2 hours to find any incriminating information, be it emails, blogs, a personal calendar, or anything else on the laptop. Her gut was telling her something was hinky, and though she had since professed that she was a scientist and gut feelings didn't matter, she couldn't ignore this one. She had actually chosen to follow it. Her previous case with Rinnert had proven that she needed to stop trusting so easily. Just because someone was nice didn't mean they weren't hinky. Abby wondered if Rinnert would still be alive had she chosen to second guess his motives and analyze him a little more thoroughly. She knew, however, that there was no way to turn back time. If there was Rinnert wouldn't be lying on an autopsy table and McGee wouldn't be lying in a hospital bed.

The thought of him made her type faster. Tony had returned from the hospital when Gibbs had summoned him and he had reported that McGee was awake. She wanted to see him. She needed to see him. She had only stayed for a few minutes the night before, much to her dismay. A doctor by the name of McGreggor had viciously reprimanded her for being there so late and had demanded that she leave in the most serious whispered tone that she had ever barely heard. Tony had updated her that Sarah had stayed all night, but she hadn't seen the girl when she silently crept into McGee's hospital room. She remembered how his eyes had opened when she brushed his hair back. She remembered him whispering her name. She remembered being inches away from brushing her lips against his when she had been rudely interrupted.

Thinking back on it, she had no idea what possessed her to almost kiss him. It was McGee. Sure, she had kissed him several times before and she'd even done much more. Remembering the places her lips had been sent a shiver down her spine, but there was nothing lingering between them. They had a brief whatever it was and had both moved on. So why the hell had she almost kissed him?

Perhaps it had been the way his hair had fallen over his eyes. Or perhaps it had been his eyes themselves. Abby never once admitted it out loud, but sometimes she felt as if she could get lost in his eyes. It had been over a year since their last "encounter" and McGee had definitely changed. His hair had grown longer and he wore it differently now. With the buzz cut gone, his strawberry blonde locks were now swept back with the assistance of some hair product that smelt like coconut and cucumber. Abby was sure that if she had ever tested it in her lab traces of both would be revealed to be components.

McGee's hair hadn't been the only thing that had changed. He'd lost what she could only think to describe as "baby fat" and replaced it with toned muscle mass. She'd been blatant about looking before, so she hadn't changed her ways and noticed that McGee now filled out a pair of jeans quite nicely. The addition of jeans to his work wardrobe was also something that she had grown fond of. Gone were the drab colored suits and ties from McGee's attire. He'd replaced them with a much more casual collection of clothing from higher end stores, a luxury that he could easily afford thanks to royalty checks made out to Thom E. Gemcity.

And just like the disappearance of his drab wardrobe, McGee's nervousness and awkwardness in his position had been replaced with one of comfort and confidence. He no longer stuttered or stammered when asked a question by Gibbs. He was no longer phased by Tony's hazing and often played practical jokes on the senior agent in retaliation for all the crap he'd put him through in the past. And together, Abby and he had become a well-oiled machine. The tasks of finding evidence on even the most securely protected computers were simple when they were together.

Their ability to work so well had been a key reason in the fact that she chose to work alone. When she had been forced to work with Chip, McGee had spent far less time in her lab. His presence had been unnerving from the get-go, and she'd always harbored resentment towards him for interrupting the "flow" she'd developed working with McGee. Side by side they'd hack into a database or un-encrypt files. He'd listen to her rants about the need for quality source imagery and she'd offer him Caf Pow's when he'd be frustrated by a unorganized hard drive. Chip had come and spilt them apart. The only thing that she was happy about in regards to Tony being framed for murder was that she was able to trade out the psycho and get her geek back. She was only one person but she knew that when push came to shove, she would always have McGee to fall back on.

Just like she had the day before. Promising her that he would get Rinnert and then making good on it. She hadn't wanted Fred to end up dead, even after he shot at her. But Gibbs words had resounded in her head. "McGee was not trained to miss." After she had left the hospital, Abby had returned home but sleep didn't find her. Gibbs words stayed with her all through the night. So she returned to work with the intent of visiting McGee during her lunch hour. Abby was sure she was entitled to one of those, although she wasn't sure if it was to be at a scheduled time since she'd never once taken "lunch." But the case had been building since the morning and every time she'd get a break something else would be thrown her way. With her two-hour deadline looming, she knew that Gibbs would be down any minute. With absolutely nothing to show for her work, Abby voiced a frustration that she didn't expect anyone to hear.

"McGee, I could really use you right now."

Ziva smiled upon hearing Abby's words. Clearly, she had been mistaken or Gibbs had gotten through to her. Ziva knew it was most likely the latter since Abby hung on Gibbs' every word. Even though her last exchange with Abby had been a physicality, she felt it was ok to respond to her wish.

"I'm sure McGee would rather be here than in Bethesda."

Abby looked up, slightly startled. She hadn't heard Ziva come in, having been too lost in thought.

"Thinking about him, Abby?" Ziva asked quietly, and Abby wondered if mind reading was a skill they taught alongside assassination at Mossad.

"Hey, Ziva. Yeah, I was." She replied, keeping the answer short. She could tell by Ziva's attitude and the way she was carrying herself that a slap in the face was not on the menu. For this Abby was thankful.

"Abby I," Ziva began and was met with "Ziva, listen.." The two women laughed slightly at their simultaneous attempts to apologize, and Ziva insisted on starting.

"I am sorry that I slapped you. It was uncalled for and you didn't deserve it. I'm usually much better at controlling my emotions, it just seemed to bubble up." Ziva, of course knew that wasn't her entire reasoning and she could see from Abby's eyes that the excuse wasn't being perceived as totally plausible. So she continued.

"In my experience, it's better to have put everything out there and to say what you need to say. You should spend time with the people that you care about before it's too late."

Abby knew Ziva was referring to Lt. Roy Sanders.

"I know that you have always followed this way of life and I have not. When I realized that it was important to do this, I did not have a second chance to go back. That was why I got so upset with you for not wanting to go see McGee. I thought, 'he is alive and she is biding her time.' I had seen the way you had reacted when Gibbs was hurt, and I think I felt defensive about McGee. That he deserved your caring just as much as Gibbs did. But I understand and I'm sorry."

True to her nature, Abby hugged her.

"Ziva, you were totally right to slap me. I deserved it. But you were right; I need to go see him. And as soon as Gibbs gets down here, I will. Because there is nothing on this laptop."

"Nothing?" Ziva asked, following Abby's change of subject.

"Less than nothing. Not one iota of an inkling of a nothing." Abby said.

"Tell me you have something Abby," Gibbs said as he entered her lab, right on schedule. Even when her result was that she had no results, Gibbs was still there to hear it.

"Sorry Gibbs. I've been through every site that he's visited, every email he's received and sent and everything else you…well I could possibly think of. Not that you can't think of things about computers because you can but sometimes things like parameters and hidden embedded files and mapped drives they go over you head..."

He interrupted her rant. "Abby."

"Sorry Gibbs. The laptop's clean." She said, frowning.

She could tell by the look in his eyes that they weren't done. And that when he left she wasn't going to take off her lab coat and head off to Bethesda. Gibbs gut was telling him that this guy was guilty and that computer forensics would prove it. She could tell by the look in his eyes that he meant business and he didn't care if she had to stay in her lab all night to find something, as long as she found it. And that was exactly what happened.

* * *

It was around 7 when the nurse walked in with the covered plate of what McGee could only assume was some sort of ungodly inedible hospital food. He was thankful that Sarah had come back later on in the afternoon as it allowed him to ignore the excuse that had been considered "lunch." He spied the brown plastic cover and feigned sleep.

"Nice try agent McGee, but your eyes were open not 3 seconds ago. You have to eat something, doctor's orders," she said.

She'd been in and out of his room all day and he hadn't even properly introduced himself.

"You can call me Timothy. Do I really have to eat that?" he said, truly hoping that his attempt at being cordial would excuse him from choking down whatever was looming on the plate.

"Kasey," she introduced herself. "And yes, you do. But I think you might enjoy this. Double bacon cheese burger and fries." She explained as she wheeled the table over to his bed.

McGee sat up, and slightly winced. He was doing better with movement; now he only managed to slightly hurt himself when making minimal motions.

"How did I get clearance for a double bacon cheeseburger? Doesn't seem like something Dr. McGreggor would approve," McGee as quizzically as the scent of fried deliciousness filled his nostrils.

"He didn't. Your boss sent this over. Apparently, he believes that feeding you garbage will get you back on active duty faster." She smiled.

"If it's garbage, why are you letting me eat it?" McGee questioned, as he popped a french fry into his mouth. It had only been a day, but he realized in that moment that he was eternally grateful for French fries. French fries and Gibbs.

"Because your boss seems like he can be an extremely frightening individual if you disobey a direct order." She answered as she casually sat down in what he had deemed "Sarah's chair."

"Oh, he is. You have no idea." He answered and after a bite, McGee added double bacon cheeseburgers to the list of things he was eternally grateful for.

"Nothing like that, Tony was it? That was in here earlier?" she asked.

"Oh god no," McGee said with his mouth full. He knew that small bites would probably have been better and far less disgusting since he was talking with his mouth full, but he wanted to savor every morsel of his dinner. And savoring was not defined by chewing like a rabbit.

"Tony is nothing like Gibbs," he continued, after having swallowed. "Very sophomoric, but he's a good guy, nonetheless. And Gibbs," McGee took a smaller bite and then continued. "Gibbs is great."

"It seems to me that all of your colleagues are great. I met your medical examiner…" she trailed off, trying to think of his name.

"Ducky."

"Yes, Ducky. Such a sweet man. And there was a woman…dark hair?"

"Abby?" McGee questioned, hopefully. Everyone had been to see him, except Gibbs and Abby. Gibbs' presence was excused since, according to Tony, he had ridden with McGee in the ambulance. And he'd ordered him dinner.

"She works for Mossad right?" Kasey question and McGee sighed.

"No, that's Ziva." McGee answered, his hopes dashed. So this nurse had met everyone except Abby. It didn't seem possible that Abby wouldn't have been to see him in the past 24 hours. When Gibbs had been injured, she had practically bankrupted herself taking a cab to the hospital. He recalled when Tony had been sick and she threw herself into his arms when he returned. And yet, he had taken a bullet for her and nothing? He'd thought he'd seen her the night before and he could have sworn she was there, but he knew now that he had to have been mistaken. Abby apparently didn't care enough to even call. Even Jimmy had called.

"And of course, your sister." Kasey said after a moment. Timothy had become silent, almost distant. His insatiable hunger seemed to have quelled and he seemed to be distracted.

He smiled briefly, but not for long. "Yeah, Sarah's great," he replied not looking up.

After another brief silence, Kasey stood and excused herself. She would have stayed and talked to him longer, the floor was, for lack of a better word, dead. But something had caused him to zone out. After she had exited, she wondered if she should have mentioned his late night visitor. Was that the Abby that he referred to? She pondered it briefly until another patient was brought up from trauma.

Back in his room, McGee's food sat untouched since he had uttered her name. He was hungry and he knew he should eat. He'd been rude in ignoring Nurse Kasey and zoning off the way he had. But he couldn't help it.

He was furious.


	6. Chapter 6

The music was blasting louder than usual in Abby's lab when Tony walked in, and he noticed his favorite Goth bouncing along with the song." It wasn't what he liked, it certainly wasn't Sinatra, but he'd grown accustomed to death metal since knowing Abs. He even recognized the band.

"Never too early for Plastic Death, huh Abs?" he asked, loudly making sure to be heard over the music. She heard him and astounded him with her excitement.

"Tony!" she shrieked, running over and throwing herself into his arms. He recovered from practically being knocked down, regained the wind she'd knocked out of him and stood confused. Abby had only been this excited to see him twice before: once when he returned from his bout with the plague and once when he returned from a security conference in Germany.

"Abby, can't really breathe so much," he managed to choke out against her bone crushing hug. She released the grip and apologized.

"Oh God, sorry! I'm just so excited," she replied as she bounced back to her computer. Tony saw that the screen was still scanning for fingerprint matches and that she hadn't gotten a hit, so he knew that wasn't the reason for her utter delight.

"Uh, yeah I can see that. Why, exactly?" he asked, and she shot him a look that said 'as if you didn't know.'

"Tony! McGee is being released from the hospital today!" she said excitedly.

It had been four days since the shooting and McGee had recovered enough to be discharged. Abby had heard the news from Gibbs and had jumped with joy upon hearing it.

"Oh, really?" he asked, seeming surprised. "I haven't spoken to the Probie in a couple days. Good for him."

If there was one thing that Anthony DiNozzo hated about himself, it was his ability to lie. Tony knew full well that McGee was being released. He had heard the news when McGee called him himself to ask for a ride home. He claimed he wouldn't have asked except that Sarah had her make-up for her chemistry midterm. Tony had been happy to oblige his partner, but he was confused about McGee's one request: to not let Abby know that he would be picking him up or that he had spoken with him at all.

"Good for him? That's great for him Tony! McGee's better and he's coming back!" Abby explained, not hiding her enthusiasm at all.

"He's not back just yet, Abby," Gibbs stated entering the lab and shooting her a look. She picked up the remote to her stereo and immediately lowered the sound system several decibels so that Gibbs could finish his usual Gibbs-like reminder of the obvious.

"He'll be on leave for a few weeks, and when he gets back it'll be desk duty."

Abby was fine with that. It simply meant more time spent in her lab. She knew Tim loved fieldwork, but after this recent scare she was completely okay with the fact that in the coming weeks, he'd be chained to a computer. He could do that just as well, if not better and she was grateful that she'd be getting her partner back.

"Gibbs, why are you here? I haven't gotten a hit on the fingerprints yet." Abby noted.

"Not gonna get one Abs. Run the prints we found on the service revolver against the ones on this water bottle. See if it's a match."

Abby knew from the fact that Gibbs was handing her a water bottle, that it had most likely come from the interrogation room upstairs. She accepted the bottle and the task.

"Yes, oh great one." She replied. She could see that Gibbs was not in the mood for chitchat, so she immediately began her tests.

"DiNozzo, with me." The older man commanded and Tony simply replied "On your six, Boss."

They entered the elevator and just as soon as it started moving, it stopped by the power of Gibbs' hand. He turned and glared at his Senior Field Agent, his eyes telling the younger man that he knew more than he was letting on. Tony attempted to be glib, hoping that whatever it was Gibbs wanted wouldn't be too painful.

"Oh, is it that time again Boss?"

"Why'd you lie to Abby?" Gibbs asked, his eyes cold and icy.

"You heard that huh?" Tony replied, his eyes showing that he was sorry for having lied to their favorite forensic scientist.

"Yeah, I heard that. And now I'd like to hear why DiNozzo." Gibbs responded, his glare still trained on Tony.

"Probie asked me to."

"Why?"

"Not sure. He called to ask if I'd pick him up. I agreed and suggested that maybe I could bring Abs along and he shot me down cold. Told me not to tell her I'd spoken to him and not to tell her that I was picking him up." Tony explained. "Somethin's up boss."

"Yeah, I know. When I told Abby that McGee was being released, she said that she happy she could finally see him since his Doctor wasn't allowing visitors."

"Well that doesn't make sense, Ziva saw him yesterday."

"I know, DiNozzo," Gibbs said, staring ahead of him. Tony could see that something was brewing behind those sparkling blue orbs.

"You want me to bring Abby with me when I go get him?" he asked.

"No, no. Where are McGee's house keys?" Gibbs asked and Tony looked utterly confused.

"Right here." Tony replied, taking the keys out of his pocket and Gibbs glared at him.

"That probably looked creepy, the way I did that. I don't have my own set or anything, but when McGee was shot, the paramedics…they just took him. All his personal belongings were left here. I put them in my pocket when I came in this morning so I wouldn't forget them…" Realization finally flashed across Tony's face and Gibbs smiled and nodded.

"I'll just go put these back in his drawer then." Tony said smiling, as Gibbs restarted the elevator.

Two hours later, Tim stood next to his hospital bed packing the remainder of his belongings into a plastic bag. He wasn't entirely surprised that DiNozzo was late. He sighed and looked at his watch, only to realize that Tony wasn't late at all.

"Here at the Bethesda Hilton, check out time's not until 3PM," Nurse Kasey said jokingly, as she entered his room.

"Silly me, I thought that check out time was the minute Dr. McGreggor gave me the green light to go home," McGee replied. Over the past four days, he'd really grown fond of Kasey. She managed to sneak him the food that Gibbs ordered for him every night, she let his friends stay well beyond visiting hours and she always made him laugh. But most importantly, she'd followed and instructed the other nurses to enforce his request regarding one specific visitor.

"Him signing that little yellow slip of paper doesn't mean anything, unless I give it to you," she smiled.

McGee raised his eyebrows, as if he was surprised. "Oh so you're that guy?"

"I'm that guy. Now sit down and shut up so I can take your pressure." She replied.

McGee did as he was told and just to bust Kasey's chops, he responded with a resounding "Yes ma'am."

Kasey glared at him as she wrapped the cuff around his muscular arm, making sure to yank it extra tightly.

"Oww!" McGee winced and Kasey smiled sweetly at him. She loosened the cuff, and made a light remark about how she just needed to get an accurate read. McGee flashed a sarcastic smile back at her.

"You really put the hospital in hospitality don't ya?" he cracked.

"I do what I can. And don't ever call me ma'am again." She replied, concentrating on her reading. McGee watched her, but didn't respond, so she asked a question that she'd been dying to ask since she found out he was being released.

"So, you gonna see her?"

He sighed and closed his eyes. He had been so excited about the possibility of going home, sleeping in his own bed, eating his own food and being in his own home that he hadn't even allowed the thought of Abby to cross his mind.

"Eventually, I'm gonna have to. But at least it won't be today."

Kasey sighed. She'd been confused by his request, when he'd first asked, but she'd appeased him. She had told her staff that if Abby Scuito was to call or visit that under no circumstances was she to be allowed into Timothy McGee's room. She had no idea what the woman looked like or why Tim didn't want to see her. When he'd first made the request, she could see both anger and sadness in his eyes. It was as if he didn't want to ask, but he had no other choice. Initially, she'd asked him what this woman had done to him. His answer, "nothing," had confused her but she saw heartbreak in his eyes and didn't press the subject any further.

She'd managed to get some details out of him about this Abby, but aside from the fact that they worked together and had dated briefly, that was all she knew. She'd been tempted to ask his sister, or even Ziva but she quelled the insatiable gossip mongrel inside of her and respected his privacy. But now, as he was just moments away from going home and walking out of her life forever as most of her patients did, she couldn't hold back. So she sighed, unwrapped the blood pressure cuff and caught his eyes.

"She obviously cares Tim. I've heard from some of the other nurses that she calls at least 3 times a day, just for an update on your condition."

Just like when she first breached the subject of this mysterious woman, sadness washed over his eyes. But it was a fleeting moment that he didn't allow to last any longer than a second, and he instead voiced his answer with a question that had nothing to do with anything she had talked about. He hadn't meant it, but the sadness in his eyes had traveled a path to his vocal cords, and he spoke sadly.

"So can I go home now?"

She looked at him, a sad smile playing on her lips. She knew she had lost the battle that he simply wasn't going to talk to her about this. She didn't really have any other option except to tell him the truth.

"No."

He rolled his eyes, and for a moment he could have sworn he was fighting with his sister.

"Kasey, look I don't want to talk about it okay? I'm sure that my blood pressure was normal, so could you please just let me get out of here?" He pleaded. She smiled widely and he was sure that if she attempted to take his pressure in a few minutes, he wouldn't be discharged.

"You can't go home until someone comes to take you home, Tim." She retorted.

"Guess that's where I come in, huh Probie." Tony echoed from the doorway. Neither Tim nor Kasey had noticed his presence, which made Tim slightly worried as to what he had overheard. Regardless, he was still sure he'd never been so happy to see Tony in his life.

"You're late DiNozzo," he muttered, as Tony entered the room and plopped down into a chair.

"Oh, cut him some slack. I'm sure he's been doing super important federal agenty stuff," Kasey teased and Tony jumped at the opportunity to throw in his two cents.

"Thank you, and let us not forget that I've been doing super important federal agenty stuff times two, since you've been laid up in here, McGoo."

"Are you finished?" McGee asked. He really wanted to get home. Away from the smell of industrial strength cleaning solution, and bed sheets that smelled like chemical detergent. Away from the crappy food under odd smelling plastic covers and the strange sounds that the plastic chairs made whenever anyone sat in them. Away from I.V.s and heart monitors and call buttons. Away from Kasey's probing questions about Abby and the sad looks the other nurses gave him whenever they told him she'd called for an update. He'd been there four days, one of which he'd been in surgery for half of and unconscious for the other half of, but it didn't matter. He simply wanted to get away.

Kasey noticed his growing frustration and she knew that it was time to say good-bye to her favorite patient. She hoped that one-day, she could find a man as charming and handsome as Timothy McGee. He was everything she was looking for in a man, except his one fatal flaw: he was clearly in love with someone else.

"Okay, you are officially discharged. And I am officially going to miss you. Listen to me, be careful okay? I'd hate to see you in here again," she said, hugging him. He encased her in his arms and she allowed herself to get lost in the moment when he whispered a flirty response in her ear.

"Liar, you know you just want to give me a sponge bath," he quipped, low enough to be out of Tony's earshot. She pulled back and with a coy smile playing on her lips, she replied.

"Don't tease me, Timothy,"

That statement fell within Tony's range and he let out a cougar-like growl.

"Wow, this the kind of treatment you get when you get shot Probie? I may have to get shot more often," he smirked.

Tim turned his attention away from Kasey, for only a second to respond, "That can be arranged, DiNozzo" and he focused on his favorite nurse again. She'd released him from the hug, after Tony's growl and now was standing a few inches away from him, smiling.

"Thank you for everything Kasey," he said kissing her on the cheek. "I'll be in touch," he added.

"You'd better be. Get home safe," she said, turning her attention to Tony. "No crazy driving. He doesn't need to end up back in here on the same day he leaves. I expect him home in one piece, Agent DiNozzo," she ordered.

"Yes, Ma'am." Tony answered. McGee laughed and Kasey's eyes narrowed at him, staring him down.

"Not the wisest decision you've ever made, Tony." McGee said smiling.

Several signatures later, McGee was seated in the company car that Tony had come to pick him up in. The Porsche was still at headquarters, as per McGee's orders, something which Tony was still having trouble understanding.

"I just don't get it, I'm a good driver." He mumbled as he drove. For good measure, he floored the gas pedal and weaved the Charger in and out of traffic.

"Never said you weren't Tony," McGee answered as he ruffled through his backpack that Tony had brought to him.

"It's not like I'm Ziva," he added, as he purposely took a corner a little to quickly. McGee was jolted to the left and he glared at Tony.

"Alright DiNozzo, I get it," McGee sighed, as he continued checking to see that all his personal belongings were in tact. So far everything looked to be in order, except for one important thing.

"Tony, where are my house keys?" he asked, trying to keep his voice level and give DiNozzo the benefit of the doubt. He'd reminded him the night previously when he called him to make sure he took them out of his desk drawer and Tony had assured him that he would.

"Oh," Tony said, seeming surprised. "Did I not pack those? I guess I must have left them in your desk drawer."

Channeling Mario Andretti, Tony stepped on the gas pedal and the car accelerated, as McGee was thrown back against his seat. He held on to the door handle, as Tony expertly cut off a tractor-trailer in the left lane. The light up ahead was already yellow, but Tony continued at the already heightened speed.

"Uh, Tony," McGee said, worried that perhaps Kasey had some sort of mind reading ability, and issued the warning she had for a reason.

"Don't wet your McPants Probie, I got this." Tony said, pressing the gas pedal further to the floor. As he approached the light, which had just turned red, he slammed on the breaks and hung a U-turn at the intersection. The tires squealed, as did McGee and Tony narrowly avoided a collision with a pick-up truck. Horns honked and gestures were made. Tony ignored the commotion he'd caused outside and simply sighed.

"See, that would have been so much cooler in the Porsche."

"Tony, what the hell?!" McGee barked, his heart now operating at a speed that probably wouldn't be approved by his physician. "I just got shot and you pull a stunt like that? What are you trying to do, kill me?"

Tony smiled inwardly; happy for the perfect seg way into the conversation he wanted to be having.

"Well, that all depends." He answered, simply not taking his eyes off the road.

"Depends on what?" McGee asked, finally loosening his grip on the door handle.

"On why you're so intent on keeping your homecoming a secret from a certain forensic scientist of the Goth persuasion." DiNozzo answered.

McGee sighed. First Kasey, and now Tony. It was easier to appease Kasey, but he knew that DiNozzo was not going to back down without a fight. And seeing as how they had about a half an hour drive ahead of them, he knew he was in for it. No matter what excuse he gave Tony would not give up, so McGee feigned fatigue.

"Tony, look, I'm really tired and I don't want to talk about this. So please, let's just go to the navy yard, get my keys and I'll even drive myself home."

"Nice try McProbius. If you think that I'm going to change the subject on why you can't drive your precious little Porsche home yourself, you're wrong. Now spill it, why are you avoiding Abby?"

* * *

A/N: Thank you guys all so much for all of your reviews and encouragements for me to finish this! I know it's taken a while (had some hard core writers block for a while) but I'm on a roll again! And I know this chapter was kind of cliff hangy, don't worry, there's a another one soon! And reviews make me write faster. :)


	7. Chapter 7

"I'm not avoiding Abby," McGee bit back harshly.

"Uh, you lied to her about your doctor allowing visitors, and every time she called to check up on you, you were either in the bathroom, being examined or asleep. I'd consider that avoiding."

"Drop it Tony," McGee pleaded. He hadn't even figured out how he was feeling about Abby. He had been flip flopping between heart broken and furious on a daily basis. He'd made the decision to cut off contact with her when he was mad, and after he found out she'd been trying to see him, it only made him depressed.

Of course she cared, but not enough to visit him when he was first admitted, as the others had. Not enough to be one of the people that Kasey had talked with. Taking that bullet and killing Rinnert had made him realize two things. The first was that life was short and at any given time, it can be over. He'd already learned this lesson when Kate had died, and he'd nearly lost Abby twice before, but this time it had been different. This time, he'd been the one to nearly lose his life and it made his second realization, even more painful. He now knew, to be careful what he wished for.

For so long, he'd only wanted to be her hero. When she'd been placed in his protective custody, he'd let Mawher get close, too close, a price, which had nearly cost her her life. When she'd nearly died of carbon monoxide poisoning in the Humvee, he'd held himself personally responsible. He'd put her in harms way a third time, just barely getting her out of it, when he'd been working on Rock Hollow. Three times her life had been in danger, and not one of those times had he truly been her hero. He was tired for having to apologize for not saving her life.

But when Rinnert pointed that gun at her, and he reacted quicker than he even thought he could, he knew he was her hero. When he had fallen to the floor, the victim of a bullet meant for her, he defined heroism. And when Rinnert gasped his last breath, and the threat was officially gone, it was like the final nail in the coffin. He had gotten exactly what he wanted. He even had a scar to prove it. He wasn't just a computer geek with a gun. He was a highly trained NCIS special agent, capable of protecting those around him. Those he loved.

And apparently, it didn't make any difference to Abby.

When Gibbs was hurt, she rushed to be at his side. When Gibbs was gone, she mourned his loss. He knew that he wasn't the boss, but he'd thought that the past that he and Abby had shared, both the intimacy and the friendship, would have meant something to her. But when she hadn't visited or called that first day, he learned a lesson that he didn't want to. His brush with death had made him realize that she was what was important to him. She was who he wanted to be with, and knowing that she was alright after everything that had happened with Rinnert was all that mattered to him. He remembered lying on the gurney when she assured him that she wasn't hurt and at that moment he didn't care whether he lived or died. And apparently, neither did she.

He wasn't looking for a pat on the back or even for a "thank you." He was doing his job, and he knew that if had been Tony that was closest, he would have done the same thing. Ziva would have too, although her damage would have been decidedly worse for Rinnert. He didn't expect Abby to shower him with gratitude or to "owe him" for saving her. But in all the times that he hadn't been her hero, he'd thought of the "what if's." He thought of each scenario, a million different ways and her reactions. And that was what bothered him the most. She hadn't reacted. The fact that she wasn't the first face he saw when he woke up let him know that he wasn't as important as Gibbs. She wasn't going to rush to his side and stay with him through the night. She didn't know how important it was for him to know she was ok. The scenario that he had thought about over and over again had one ending that he never saw coming: Abby didn't love him.

Tony's voice pulled him out of his head and away from his thoughts.

"Earth to elf lord, answer the question."

He rolled his eyes and hated the words as he uttered them.

"What question?"

"What the hell are you thinking about over there? You're brooding McGee. And you can't do brooding. Whining, you're good at but brooding, it's not your thing man."

McGee's jumbled feelings came out in a harshly worded response directed towards a friend who was simply trying to help, in his own convoluted way.

"They didn't prescribe strong enough painkillers to deal with you right now Tony, so for the last time please, please, just shut the hell up."

Tony obeyed the order and focused on the drive. Tim returned to gazing out the window, and he never noticed the flash of hurt that had washed over Tony's features.

The elevator ride to the squad room was quiet, just like the rest of the car ride had been. Tony drove and McGee gazed, neither speaking to the other. DiNozzo knew that whatever his partner was hiding was paining him much more than the bullet he had taken just days earlier. McGee wasn't just brooding, he was angry. And Tony knew that his attitude in the car was just the tip of the iceberg.

He simple mission of "get to the desk, get the keys, and get out undetected" didn't go as planned. He heard her squeal of delight before he saw her, and then he felt her. She launched herself at him before he could even attempt to speak, ignoring Gibbs' soft warning of "Slow down, Abs." The pain coursed through him at an alarming rate, his chest feeling the fiery sting of her attempt at comfort worst of all. The breath shot out of him quickly as she engulfed him, his lungs gasping for oxygen. And all the while, she smiled, happy to have him in her arms.

It was Ziva who noticed that he was in pain, when he nearly toppled over after Abby had tackled him.

"Abby," she warned cautiously, and the Goth scientist jumped back, quickly recognizing the tone. He bent at the waist, afraid for a moment that he might collapse, as he desperately worked at controlling his breathing. He spoke soon after, making sure that his words stung her just as much as his lungs burned him at the moment.

"Abby, what the hell is wrong with you?" he choked out, as he moved to a standing position. He looked into her eyes, deep green pools filled with concern, and he almost laughed. It seemed ironic that now, she cared. He didn't choose his next words, they just came out bitterly of their own accord.

"Were you that upset that Rinnert wasn't a better shot? Had to try and kill me yourself?"

The blow connected as delivered and he could see the pain in her eyes. She stood, stunned for a moment and locked her gaze on his. When he saw the impact of his words, he almost apologized. But she turned before he could do so and stormed off towards the elevator that led to her lab. Tony and Ziva were silent, but Gibbs was at his side in a flash.

"Apologize," he whispered harshly and McGee knew that disobeying the direct order would hurt him far worse than his bullet-ridden lung. He made his way towards the elevator, and caught up with her as she was slamming her finger into the button. He saw faint tracks of tears that she'd already wiped away and he hated himself.

"Abby, I'm sorry," he began and then stopped. He really couldn't figure out what to say beyond that. He'd hurt her but she'd hurt him as well and he couldn't forget that.

"Forget it, McGee" she responded, coldly. "I know you're only apologizing because Gibbs said so."

That pissed him off. On the one hand, she did have a point. He had followed Gibbs' command and apologized, but he wondered if she really did think that was his only reasoning. Just days before hand he'd thrown her to the floor and taken a bullet meant for her, and yet she believed he would only apologize for hurting her feelings if someone told him to?

The elevator doors opened and she stepped in quickly, having pressed the "Close Doors" button within seconds. He leaned in, bracing himself on the doors as they followed their programmed instructions and held them open.

"Actually Abby, I'm apologizing because I'm sorry," he replied, his tone unapologetic.

"Move McGee," she ordered, her eyes now icy.

"You really are unbelievable," he muttered as he released his grip on the doors. As a security measure, they opened fully before attempting to close again, giving the Abby the opportunity to pull him inside. Her eyes remained narrowed on him as the doors shut behind him and she quickly flipped the emergency switch. The two were bathed in soft light, which in any other circumstance could have proven to be relaxing or even romantic. But the mood was neither of the two. She spoke.

"Ya got something to say to me McGee?"

"Already did. Although you seem to think I only said it because I was told to." McGee answered, flipping the emergency switch back. The elevator was once again brought to life and flooded with bright halogens.

"I don't think it McGee, I know it," she bit back harshly. She was impressed with herself, holding back the tears. So far only a few had escaped and he hadn't been witness to them. And he certainly wasn't about to be now.

"If you knew me at all, you would know that I don't say things I don't mean" he said softly. He knew that his words had hurt, and regardless of every conflicting emotion that he was feeling for her, he didn't want to cause her any unnecessary pain. Just like when he'd stepped in front of the bullet, he'd always put her feelings in front of his own.

She noticed the change in his tone of voice, and she felt the tears sting her eyes. She steadied her breathing as best she could, and flipped the emergency switch once again, plunging them into almost darkness. That way, if she did cry, he wouldn't see it.

Neither spoke for a moment, but it was Abby, who broke the deafening silence with a whisper.

"How could you say that to me?" she asked, her voice cracking. She felt one hot tear spill over and trickle down her cheek, leaving a cold wet trail behind it.

He didn't look at her. He couldn't. He knew she was crying and he hated more than anything to see her cry. He was mad at her, but he wasn't. He wanted to hold her, but he wanted to be anywhere else in the world than where he was. He wanted to tell her how much she'd hurt him by not being the first person he saw when he woke up, but he didn't want to give her the satisfaction of knowing how much she meant to him. He was a giant mess of emotions that he couldn't wrap his head around. So he stood, looking at the floor of the elevator and didn't say a word.

She wanted an answer, but she was too hurt to demand one. She'd gone from stunned, to sad to infuriated to devastated all in a matter of minutes. And as he stood there, ignoring her, she realized that she was tired. So she flipped the emergency switch once again and the elevator restarted. The doors opened and she exited to her lab, but turned back just before they closed to say one final thing.

"I thought that my letter would have at least meant something to you Tim."

As Abby made her way to her lab and the elevator doors closed McGee was left with one thought.

What letter?

* * *

"Nurse DeRiso?"

Kasey looked up from the chart she was updating to be met with the eyes of Amanda Fletcher, one of the newest nurses to the unit. Fresh out of college, Amanda did things by the book. She followed orders to the latter, double checked every dosage and paid careful attention to each patient she was assigned. As Tim had said, she was a good Probie.

"What's up Amanda?" Kasey responded with a smile. She noticed the tension in the younger girl's stance, and noticed her biting her lower lip. Whatever it was that she was about to hear, probably wasn't good news.

"Agent McGee…" she began. "He was discharged already?"

Kasey smiled. Not surprising, she thought, that another nurse on the floor had had a school girl crush on little Timmy McGee. He was quite the charmer.

"This morning, I'm afraid. Why is it that the good ones are either gay or already in love?" she questioned, almost rhetorically as she stared off into the distance. Amanda was silent at her comment, not really knowing what to say, so Kasey continued. "Were you hoping to say goodbye?"

"No," she began and then quickly corrected herself, "Well, yes, but that's not the only reason. I'm just not sure what to do with this," she said holding up a black envelope.

"Well that all depends on what exactly it is," Kasey replied, staring quizzically at the stationery. It looked expensive, almost gothic in nature.

"It's a letter. From Abby. You know, the woman who Agent McGee asked not to see or speak to," Amanda explained, her voice sounding questionable as she did so.

Kasey didn't need Amanda's explanation as to who Abby was, but she did have another question.

"Where did you get it?"

"From Abby, when she was here." Amanda answered simply.

Kasey's eyes went wide. As the head nurse she knew everything that went on in the ICU. Nothing got past her. How could she have missed the fact that the woman she had been desperate to find out about had actually been on her floor? And then the realization hit her.

"The woman you let into his room, the one you told me about, _that_ was Abby?"

Amanda nodded. She remembered the night well. Kasey had already ignored McGreggor's orders about visitors, allowing Agent McGee's sister to stay by his bedside long after visiting hours were over. When he found out that his direct order had been disobeyed, he was livid. As a former marine, having his subordinate's question his authority was not something that sat well with him.

She'd actually been present when Kasey had gone toe to toe with McGreggor, telling him that the young girl was beside herself with worry and that she was permitting her to stay. McGreggor had told her that she didn't have the right to make that decision. He stated that it was against protocol. It was then that Kasey stood up to him and had the conversation had stayed with Amanda.

"I'm not one of your grunts, Doctor. You can not dismiss me," Kasey had said. "Agent McGee is as much my patient as he is yours, and his sister is alone right now. She has no one else with her and I'm sure as hell not sending her back to her dorm room to worry whether or not her brother makes it through the night."

Dr. McGreggor had finally agreed, something that stunned Amanda. Kasey had noticed her shock after the man had walked off and had offered a few words of advice.

"Sometimes, it's okay to bend the rules."

"Even if it means going up against someone like him?" Amanda had asked nervously.

Kasey smiled. "Knowing procedure is what makes you capable of being a nurse. Knowing when its ok to ignore it for the well being of your patient is what makes you a nurse."

Amanda chose to ignore procedure that night when Abby had arrived. She was only a probie, but she knew by the look in the woman's eyes that her patient's well being would benefit from having her by his side. It had been short lived when McGreggor had found her, and she hadn't stood up to him the way Kasey had.

Abby had left his room, but had stopped at the nurse's desk to jot down a quick note to be given to him. Amanda took the note, intent on bringing it to McGee's room, but McGreggor had found her first. She'd left the note at the nurses station as he proceeded to ream her out as he would one of his marines. Unfortunately, she didn't have the thick skin that marines did and she was considerably upset by the words of her superior. When she had returned to her desk, she'd forgotten about it.

"How long have you been keeping this to yourself Nurse Fletcher?" Kasey asked, choosing to assert her authority by using Amanda's last name. The simple act wasn't lost on the young nurse, indicated by the fact that she practically stuttered her response.

"I had forgotten all about it after my run in with Dr. McGreggor, but I remembered it the next evening when you told us Agent McGee's request about not seeing or talking to her. I was planning on slipping it in with his belongings when he was discharged, but I never got the chance."

"Did you read it?" Kasey asked.

"No! I would never, no, no. That would be a complete invasion of Agent McGee's privacy."

Damn. Kasey had hoped that the probie had read the note and could report on the contents. Her nosiness always got the best of her.

"I should have brought this to you to begin with," Amanda stated. "I'm sorry."

Kasey sighed. The young girl really was torn up over this, possibly more so than she should have been.

"It's okay Amanda, really, it is. I'll bring it over to Agent McGee's apartment after my shift is over," she offered. Hand delivery meant that she might actually get him to open the letter and open up about Abby. The possibility of playing Dr. Phil with Tim's prospective relationship had her preoccupied her thoughts for a few minutes, and when she was brought back to reality, Amanda was still standing beside her, gnawing her lip.

"Amanda…is there something else?" she asked.

"I just…I just feel so responsible for this whole mess. Him not wanting to see her, her being all distraught over not seeing him. If I had just given him that note…if I had just told him that she loved him,"

At the mention of the word, Kasey perked up and cut her off.

"Did she say that? Did she say she loved him?"

"No, but I could see it in her eyes. You know that look that someone gets when the person they love is hurting? Like…their eyes are just glassy and you can see the pain so clearly that they look like they could shatter at any moment? That's how she looked. Like she would break down if she couldn't be with him, couldn't hold his hand and tell him she was all right."

Kasey took in Amanda's words and the young nurse continued.

"You know, she was the one he saved. That bullet that he took…it was meant for her. He saved her life, he was her hero. And she probably needed to tell him so much and she couldn't and maybe…maybe the note says it, I don't know. I just…I feel just awful Kasey."

Kasey sighed, at the end of Amanda's rambling and knew she needed to calm her down.

"Amanda, listen to me. This isn't some movie, this is real life. Whatever happened between Abby and Tim, I'm sure it's fixable and whatever this note says, I'm sure it's hardly as dramatic or as life changing as you think."

Amanda sighed and nodded. She knew that Kasey was right, and after her boss gave her a quick squeeze on the arm, she headed off to check on her patients.

Kasey stayed behind, but didn't return her attention to her charts. Amanda's words were still with her as she looked down at the envelope. The younger nurse had much to learn about her field, but she certainly knew how to read people. She had been dead on about looking into people's eyes. Looking straight through and seeing a heart on the verge of breaking. Kasey had seen that look before. She recognized it. She remembered it.

It had been the look in Tim's eyes whenever Abby's name was mentioned.

* * *

Thanks for all the reviews you guys. I know I kinda dropped off the face of the earth with this one, but the reviews keep me going! And a preview for next time...Ziva visits McGee and Tony and Abs have a chat....


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** So the writers block on this one has been non-stop, but I finally managed to update. You guys have been so great with the reviews, and seriously they're what keeps me going. And just a little recap for you guys (since it's been 3 months).** Previously:** McGee was released from the hospital and Tony probed the probie about his avoidance of everyone's favorite goth. McGee and Abby had it out in the elevator (and not in the good way)...

* * *

He had to admit; it felt good to be home. No, it felt great to be home. He lay in his bed staring wide-eyed at the ceiling, willing for sleep to over take him. He'd spent the majority of the past four days in a bed sleeping, but now it was his bed. And he wanted to sleep desperately.

It wasn't that he was tired and that was what confused him. After the exhaustion of the day, he wasn't tired at all, which probably accounted for the fact that he was staring wide eyed at his ceiling. But he wanted to sleep in his own bed simply because he could. His apartment didn't smell like industrial strength bleach infused cleaning product. His sheets didn't smell like generic laundry detergent. His pillows were actually comfortable. If he wanted something to eat, it would come from his kitchen without some puke colored lid and it wouldn't be wrapped in saran wrap. He was home and things were finally back to normal. Or at least, that what he'd been telling himself since DiNozzo had dropped him off.

In actuality, things were far from normal. The brush with death had made him realize his true feelings for Abby and in return he'd found out her true feelings for him. His fight with her in the elevator had exhausted him emotionally, but not physically. And after she'd made mention of a letter, he'd tried to find out what she was talking about but her lab door remained locked. He knocked, but she, of course hadn't opened it and so he left, returning back to the squad room. Gibbs simply glared in his general direction, knowing by the look on his face that all was not back to normal between him and Abby. Once he returned to his paperwork, Tony jangled McGee's house keys. He looked to the senior field agent, exhaustion and sadness written all over his face and the two left.

Tony had made idle chitchat in the car, and McGee hadn't really paid attention. He was too tired to fight or even to tell him to shut up. He just wanted to get home and get into his own bed. His chest still stung slightly from her hug and the remembrance of her arms around him only made things worse.

And so even after everything that had exhausted him, both emotionally and physically, he still couldn't sleep because Abby was overtaking his conscious and subconscious. He wondered what she'd been talking about when she'd mentioned the letter. He already held three internal debates with himself about calling the hospital and asking Kasey, and all three had ended with him chickening out, although he had told himself he was being strong. He was in the middle of mentally noting that he was doing the right thing when a knock at his door pulled him from his thoughts.

He made his way to answer it, and cursed himself for moving so slowly. With a pace like that, he knew he'd be stuck on desk duty for weeks. Desk duty and working side by side with the woman he both loved and hated. It would not be a pleasant few weeks.

"Ziva," he said, surprised to see her as he pulled open the door. He moved aside to usher her in, and questioned. "What are you doing here?"

"Came to drop something off," she answered nonchalantly.

McGee's eyes went wide when he saw the item that she held up. His heart dropped to his stomach. A slight sense of nausea overtook him, but passed. He felt dizzy, but he gathered himself enough to ask the question that he wasn't sure he wanted an answer to.

"Please tell me you only came to drop off my car keys?"

"No. I came to drop off your car. I drove it here. It's parked in your space downstairs," she replied.

It was the answer he'd been dreading. His car. His precious Porsche. It had been driven by Ziva. He handled that car with kid gloves and she had probably driven it like Mario Andretti hopped up on speed. He envisioned it weaving in and out of traffic. He imagined the close calls. He imagined his car coming within inches of cars, semis, guardrails and pedestrians. He'd probably have to get new breaks. He knew how she drove.

She could tell by the look on his face when she'd first held up his car keys that he was panicking. It was exactly what Tony said would happen and it was exactly why Gibbs had let her take the car. He'd known McGee was well enough to handle a little panic and he was not at all pleased with the reaction he'd read on McGee's face after his chat with Abby. It was Gibbs' idea for her to deliver McGee's car, and Tony had laughed, "imagining the look of sheer panic on Probie's face." But even this was a little much. "He is paler than a goat," Ziva though to herself. She knew she had to put him at ease.

"Calm down McGee, your car is fine," she assured him, slapping him lightly on the arm and walking further into his apartment.

"How, how fast did you drive it? You didn't go over the speed limit by a lot did you?" he questioned, his face still fearful. She turned to face him and answered the most honest way she knew how.

"Define 'a lot.'"

McGee plopped down into his computer chair. The day really couldn't get any worse.

* * *

As Tony exited the elevator, everything seemed status quo, which intrigued him because from what he'd gathered when he'd dropped McGee home, the status was far from quo. Abby's music was blasting, and it was her happy music. She was typing away, just like always and when she turned around to greet him, a smile was plastered on her face.

"Hi Tony!" she remarked happily. "What's up?"

Tony cursed Fred Rinnert to hell. He'd really had enough of the Twilight Zone crap that was going on all around him. When Abby had stomped out of the squad room, she'd looked devastated. When McGee returned back upstairs he looked like a kid that had just been told Santa wasn't real. And now the goth was sucking back on a Caf-Pow like nothing was wrong. He wondered if Ziva was experiencing a similar reaction from McGee. He made a mental note to inquire about McGee's reaction to her driving his Porsche. If it were anything other than panic, Tony would seriously start believing that Rod Sterling was secretly narrating his life without him knowing it.

"Uh, hey Abs. How goes it?" he asked, somewhat skeptically. This had to be a trick. Women were known for their trickery and Abby was no different. Well, she was different…very different but still capable of the trickery that all women were capable of, he believed.

"Just defragging my hard drives," she answered. Tony had no idea what that meant, but he usually never understood her computer lingo. The "geek speak" was usually over his head, something that McGee loved to throw in his face. "What can I help you with?" she asked.

"Um, nothing. Just came down here to…you know…shoot the breeze. See what's up." He replied.

"Oh, nothing." She answered.

"Nothing you wanna…talk about?" he questioned. He was treading lightly. He knew women enough to know to be afraid of them. They were like hidden trip wires. Step cautiously…or you might get your leg blown off.

"Why would there be?" she asked, looking genuinely confused as to what he was getting at. Abby was different than most women. His usual tactics could never work on her. He knew he should have just come out and said it, but instead he went another route.

"I don't know. I thought maybe there might be something you want to talk about," Tony said, and grew progressively more nervous when she narrowed her eyes and closed the space between them. He'd tripped. He silently said goodbye to his leg.

"Might you possibly be referring to a certain special agent who seems to have recently lost every single ounce of compassion and kindness in his body and has in turn become the world's biggest jackass?"

"I, uh, I might be." He answered, afraid that he'd angered a woman who could kill him and leave no forensic evidence. He suddenly questioned himself for being down in the lab in the first place and remembered that the only reason he was there was because Ziva had ordered him to go talk to Abby. Ziva, who could kill him eighteen different ways with a paper clip had ordered him to talk to Abby who could cover his paper clip induced demise. It was at that moment that Tony Dinozzo realized he needed to date more.

Abby smiled.

'This is it,' Tony thought. 'I'm dead. She's gonna kill me right now. She'll probably tell Gibbs I went out for coffee and then stage a fiery car crash so that any evidence is burnt to a crisp. And of course when Ducky sends her tissue samples she'll fake them to make them look like I really did die in a car crash.' He waited with baited breath for the end to his days to arrive but it never came. Instead Abby answered.

"I don't wanna talk about it," she replied turning back to her computer. Tony breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that she hadn't actually killed him.

"Abs, come on. I know you're upset," he started and she cut him off, her voice getting louder with each sentence.

"Upset? Upset? Why would you think that Tony? Because of what McGee said to me in the squad room? Or because of what we discussed in the elevator? Did he tell you that, too? He knows how I feel about people gossiping, but with this "new" McGee, I wouldn't be surprised if he'd told you everything!"

"Actually, he was silent the whole ride to his apartment. Only time he spoke was to say thank you when I dropped him off," Tony replied cautiously.

"Shocking. It has manners." Abby retorted.

"Abby, from what I can tell he seemed sorry for what he said. And he was genuinely upset by whatever happened between you two when he went to apologize," Tony explained.

"You mean when Gibbs forced him to apologize," she corrected.

"Hey, I saw the look on his face when you walked away from him. And you know McGee's face is easier to read than one of his Gemcity novels. He didn't mean it, Abs." She was silent so he continued.

"This whole thing has completely messed with his head. I mean come on, this is like one big alternate universe. It's like planet of the apes. Everything's backwards. I mean, really. McGee shutting you out and not wanting to see you, that's just…"

He realized the words too late, after they'd already past his lips. He would forever regret them after being met with her eyes.

"That's just…crazy…talk, is what that is." He added, trying to diffuse the situation, but the damage was already done.

"What do you mean shutting me out Tony?" she asked, her mind already formulating the answer.

"I…don't…I, uh…umm, what do you mean, what do I mean…what do I mean, uhhh, well there's a lot of things I mean…I mean well," he stumbled over his words trying desperately to somehow fix things. Abby turned away from him and looked back to her computer. She looked down at the keyboard.

"Ziva didn't go to interview a suspect yesterday did she? She went to go see McGee."

"I mean, you've driven with her Abs, you can't really pinpoint where she's going to end up. Sometimes its on the road, sometimes its in the hedges," Tony tried, hoping humor would help.

"That whole thing about his doctor not allowing visitors…that was all a lie, wasn't it?" she asked quietly. When he didn't reply she raised her voice. "Wasn't it??!"

Tony swallowed hard and he knew he owed his friend the truth, even though he knew it would hurt her.

"Yes."

Abby walk back into her office and closed the sliding glass doors behind her. She quickly flicked the lock and turned up her music. She only willed God to not let him see her cry. But she was on the breaking point of tears. Because for the first time in her life, Abigail Scuito felt stupid.

* * *

"Ziva, for the last time, I'm fine," McGee argued. She had been doting on him for almost an hour and it was giving him the creeps. Ziva was not the "doting" type. Yet, she'd forced him into bed, fluffed his pillows, made him a sandwich and forced him to eat it. She'd gotten him juice and refilled his glass twice, insisting that he needed more fluids.

"I am just making sure, McGee. It is better to safe than sorry," she replied and he stared at her.

"What, did I get that one wrong?" she asked, when she noticed his quizzical look.

"No, it's just that…you're being very…" he paused, trying to find a way to end that sentence that would not end with him being shot again.

"Overbearing?" she offered. "Controlling?" she asked, fluffing his pillows yet again.

"Motherly," he answered and was surprised to see her eyes soften. If he had to stand a guess, he would assume that his admission had pleased her, but he knew she wouldn't admit it out loud.

"This surprises you, McGee?" she asked, as she sat on the edge of the bed.

"Well you don't exactly strike me as the motherly type, Ziva," he answered smiling and soon regretted his words when he saw her eyes drop to her hands. She recovered quickly, as she was trained to do, and soon added a plastered smile to her façade. It didn't work with him though. After three years, he knew Ziva well enough to know when she was refusing to allow herself to show any sort of pain, physical or emotional.

"Ziva, that's not what I meant," he began, attempting to apologize, but she shushed him.

"It is fine, McGee," she said, giving just a hint of a smile. When his demeanor didn't change and the worry didn't leave his eyes, she persisted. "Trust me, you did not hurt my feelings."

He sighed. He knew she was lying to him, but he knew she'd never admit it. She'd sooner put another bullet in him. He'd only meant it in the sense that he could never see Ziva driving a Ford Windstar with a soccer ball magnet on the back. He couldn't envision her handing out juice boxes and being the "mommy" that a child would run to after a bad dream. He was so used to seeing her as the hard ass Mossad officer who'd been trained to take lives. He couldn't imagine her nurturing one.

"Why don't you tell me what's really bothering you?" she asked.

She knew. He wasn't surprised at that. She probably didn't even have to ask since she and Tony had both witnessed his outburst at Abby. It wasn't like him to snap at anyone, especially Abby. His demeanor had been different, harder since he'd come to the conclusion that she didn't feel the same way about him that he felt about her. He'd been distant when he was in the hospital and morose when he was alone. He'd snapped at Tony when he pulled that u-turn in the car, and he certainly had shown his new true colors to everyone when he hissed at Abby. It didn't take a genius to see that something had drastically changed with Timothy McGee, so he wasn't surprised that Ziva had caught on.

The brash side of him wanted to tell her to shut up, but the side that was more afraid of her told him to tread lightly. He knew she could kill him eighteen different ways with a paper clip. And while he couldn't think of a paper clip that was readily available in his apartment, his service revolver was quite close and he knew what she could do with a gun.

But as he looked at her, and he saw a slight twinge of sadness still in her eyes, he knew that she would never hurt him, even if she threatened him. Above all else, she was his friend. She had brought him his car, and while Tony and Gibbs had probably arranged the whole thing as some sort of payback for upsetting Abby, he knew that Ziva had done it because she knew how much he loved his car. She knew he felt better knowing that it was parked where it was supposed to be parked.

"Ziva, I'm sorry," he said.

"McGee, I already told you," she began, fully ready to threaten him if he did not stop apologizing. But he cut her off before she could.

"Not for that. I'm sorry for being a jerk. I've managed to make an art of that," he answered sadly.

"I feel that it is not me you want to apologize to for being a jerk," she replied. She was happy that he was about to open up. Hopefully, Tony was having the same sort of luck with Abby.

"Its stupid, y'know? I mean, I was just doing my job. If it had been anyone else that I had pushed out of the way, I wouldn't be obsessing about this. I don't know why this is so different," he explained.

"Because you care about her, McGee. And she cares about you," Ziva said, attempting resolve the situation. She wasn't familiar with "fixing" relationships, especially ones as complicated as McGee and Abby's.

Tim scoffed at her assessment. Clearly, she wasn't as wise as she seemed. "Abby doesn't care, Ziva. She didn't even care enough to come to the hospital."

"You would not let her!" Ziva exclaimed. "You made up that silly rule about your doctor not allowing visitors. Even if she had tried to come the nurses wouldn't let her in to see you! You avoided her phone calls, she couldn't even get in touch with you,"

"I know, alright?! But that doesn't make up for…forget it," McGee said dejectedly. There was no use explaining. He'd been a jerk and he knew it, and so did everyone else. There was no point in explaining his reasoning behind it.

"Make up for what McGee?" Ziva asked.

He threw his head back against the pillows and closed his eyes. He hadn't told anyone about the dream that had thrown this whole convoluted mess into motion. It was the dream that had started everything and he'd woken up from it and realized that he was in love with her. And after that, everything had just slowly spiraled out of control until his relationship with the woman he loved had become completely unrecognizable.

He felt Ziva's hand cover his own and he opened his eyes to look at her. He saw in hers something that he couldn't put his finger on. Maybe it was understanding, maybe even the love of a friend, but whatever it was, it made him open up. He let his eyes drop to their joined fingers and he finally spoke.

"The last thing I remember," he began, nervous and unsure of himself. "Was her face. I remember having this feeling in my chest…not the pain, but this other feeling…like urgency. I remember being desperate to see her, to know she was ok. I even wanted to give her a hug," he gave a slight laugh. Ziva smiled, but did not say anything.

"And that's the last thing I remember. Before she was there."

"Before who was there McGee?" Ziva asked.

"Abby. I woke up…and she was there. And she told me she was ok. But it wasn't real. I woke up and Sarah was there with Tony, but not her. It was just a dream," he said.

Ziva wasn't sure she'd ever seen him show such raw emotion. She was surprised, honestly, that he wasn't crying. The sheer heartbreak that she'd heard in his voice alone had spoken volumes about the way he felt about Abby. She almost wanted to cry for him, but instead she remained quiet and simply squeezed his hand, imploring him to go on with his story.

"She didn't come to see me at all. And I…I waited. All day, I waited for her and she never showed. Shows how much she cares. Or doesn't care." He muttered, now angry as he remembered her absence at his bedside. He pursed his lips and let the anger show in his eyes, although his voice didn't change at all. "So that's why I did it. I told the nurses that I didn't want her bothering me. That way, if she felt obligated, she had an out. She wouldn't have to deal with it,"

It was only then as he explained himself that he realized if that had really been what Abby wanted, he was still only giving her what she wished for.

"McGee," Ziva began, not knowing where to start. Abby had been terrified to see him, but could she betray her friend's trust and tell him, the man who loved her that? And did Abby love him? Ziva knew she cared, but she couldn't tell if it was as deeply as McGee felt about her. She'd always assumed that he would do anything for her, and even as he'd taken a bullet to prove it, she still wasn't sure where Abby stood on the whole situation. Her thoughts were racing a mile a minute as she tried to figure out exactly what to say, when McGee interrupted the sentence she was still desperately trying to phrase.

"I know what you're going to say. We still have to work together, I know." He suddenly felt, as he looked at her, that he had said too much. Above all else, she was his friend and he always believed he could confide in her, but he had come dangerously close to admitting that he loved Abby. So he struggled to cover his tracks.

"This thing…this is nothing Ziva, really. Come on, you know Abby" he said, trying to give a slight laugh and not make it sound as forced as it actually was. "She'll overdose on caffeine or Sister Rosita will bowl a perfect game and she'll forget all about this,"

Ziva was floored. He wanted Abby to forget about this? To forget that he had risked his own life to save hers? To forget that he'd willingly put his own life on the line to make sure she was safe? And what of his own feelings? What would he do with those? Simply lock them away and ignore them as he went on with his life, always feeling that emptiness? She wanted to smack him across the face, hard, just as she had slapped Abby, but she knew she couldn't. McGee was different.

Abby was over emotional, while McGee was analytical. His need to fully understand things and process them to all the way down to their very core was what made him great at his job, but Ziva knew that it was also what had led to this situation. He'd over analyzed her absence at the hospital. He'd probably compared it to all the other times one of the team had been hurt. He'd known how devastated she was when Gibbs had been injured, and how she'd rushed to his side. Ziva could tell that that was exactly what he had wanted, he'd even admitted it when he told her about his dream. She remembered her words to Abby that day in the lab. "He needs you." She hadn't realized just how much he did need her. If she had, she would have knocked Abby out and dragged her to Bethesda herself.

As she attempted to formulate any words that could console him, her cell phone rang. She held up her index finger to McGee, signaling that she would only need one minute as she fished the device out of her coat pocket. In her mind, she muttered a curse as she saw the caller ID: DiNozzo.

"Hello, Tony." She answered.

"I'm downstairs," was his only reply. Though he had only spoken two words, she knew that his mood was unpleasant.

"I will be right down," she replied and abruptly hung up. "Tony is downstairs," she explained.

"I was wondering how you were going to get back to headquarters," McGee said, smiling. Ziva gave a slight squeeze of his hand, which she was still holding and smiled back at him. She found herself lost for words though. She honestly had no idea what to say to him and the only things coming to mind were stereotypical phrases that one would use in a situation similar to theirs. So instead, she remained quiet with a small sad smile playing on her lips. Her eyes conveyed the emotions that she wished she could express verbally, but there was only one that she really wished he'd read: understanding.

"You should go," he said. "Besides, I'm sure Tony's mad at the fact that you got to drive my car and he didn't."

Ziva smiled again. Typical McGee. All emotions aside, back to business. She stood and leaned down to kiss him on the forehead. She pulled the blanket up around him, tucking him in gently.

"Get some rest, McGee," she said. And though it was an order, which he knew to obey, it certainly didn't sound like the usual way she commanded. Her voice was soft, yet serious. It was…motherly. She began to take her leave, and he settled deeper into the warm cocoon that had been made for him, when she turned back to him suddenly.

"I almost forgot," she half exclaimed as she removed the empty glass from the small bookcase beside his bed. She returned to the room only moments later with a full glass of apple juice. "You need more fluids, McGee. Drink up and I will come see you tomorrow."

Of any visitor that he could have gotten that day, he had been thankful that it had been Ziva.

"Ziva," he called out to her just as she reached the threshold of his bedroom doorway.

She turned and looked to the man who was snuggled beneath his bed sheets, her face plastered with a look of willingness to help him as much as she could. But to her surprise, he did not need any assistance. He just needed to tell her something.

"You're gonna make a great mom someday."

Five minutes later, Ziva opened the door to the car and got in. She'd barely closed it, when Tony took off full speed down the street.

"In a hurry, Tony?" she asked, as she reached for her seatbelt.

"Gibbs wants us to check out Roberts' apartment," he replied, not taking his eyes off the road. One of the lesser suspects in the case they were currently working, Roberts was still being considered a "person of interest" in the disappearance of a female petty officer.

"How did things go with Abby?" Ziva asked, ignoring the subject of the case at hand.

Abby. The look on her face as she sat silently at her desk while her music blasted was something he'd been trying to get out of his mind for the past hour. She'd been ready to cry, but Tony knew that she wasn't going to let the tears fall while he was present. So he'd just walked away, leaving her to deal with her emotions and leaving himself to deal with the guilt that he felt for saying the wrong thing.

"Not good," he'd replied sternly. He wasn't going to get into it, although he knew Ziva like the back of his hand. She would push him. And she did.

"What do you mean 'not good'? What did you do?" she questioned.

"Doesn't matter. Gibbs said to leave it alone," he replied.

Ziva was curious as to how Gibbs had become involved in this, although she wasn't surprised. He knew more than most about anything and everything, especially the things that people wanted to keep hidden from him.

"How does Gibbs know what is going on?" she asked.

"Because he's Gibbs. And he saw Abby crying," Tony answered.

"Crying? Tony, what did you do?" she prodded.

"I didn't do anything except talk to her. Gibbs went down to see her afterwards, and then came back up, pulled me in his 'conference room' and told me to un-involve myself and to pass the message along to my partner. That'd be you, by the way. So as per the boss's direct orders, its McGee's problem."

Ziva had no problem following orders. In fact, she was highly adept at doing so, more so than the other members of her team due to her strict military training. But she also knew that some orders were worth disobeying. She said nothing to Tony about it, she instead switched the topic of discussion back to the case at hand. But in the back of her mind, she knew she was not about to give up on this. This was not over.


End file.
